Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Are Local Foods Healthier?
There are some advantages and disadvantages of local foods. If
you can find fresher, better-tasting fruits and vegetables from
a local source (like a farmers' market) than a grocery store,
then local foods can be a proxy for higher quality foods. Most
foodies will attest to the fact that the best tomatoes are always
found at farmers' markets. Because these fruits and vegetables
undergo very little processing and are sold locally, there are
no big machines and factories, and no massive distribution
system is needed. It is anything but “corporate” food, and for
some individuals this means a lot.
It would be a mistake, however, to assume that all local foods
are healthier. Frozen fruits and vegetables are only slightly
less nutritious than their fresh counterparts, while often being
cheaper, more convenient, and more available. Canned foods
can still be very nutritious, and given their lower cost may pro-
vide some households with better access to healthy foods than
relying on local, fresh, or frozen produce. While it is common
to deem all processed and precooked foods as unhealthy, let us
not forget the contribution frozen dinners like Weight Watchers
Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine have made to helping people
lose weight. Let us acknowledge that the salads at Chick-fil-A
are impressive in their taste, variety of greens, and nutrition.
Local foods may be on average healthier than nonlocal foods—
we don't know, and it depends on the time and place. What is
certain is that labeling nonlocal food as “unhealthy” is unfair.
To the extent that local foods are healthier and better tast-
ing, the rise of the local food movement is a step in the direc-
tion of better food. In the sections below we critique two
claims often made by locavores regarding economic develop-
ment and the environment, but we urge readers to remember
that these critiques are separate from the issue of food qual-
ity. Even if the following two sections make readers skeptical
about local foods' ability to enhance the local economy and the
environment, readers are still justified in buying local, so long
as they believe the food is of higher quality.