how local is your food? as a food manufacturer, I am always challenged by the sourcing of local ingredients..I don't shop in supermarkets because I order all my veg fom a producer in Wicklow who also imports, but it can be very difficult to keep things local. I I have found my sacks of sunflower seeds come from China, my coconut butter is shipped from the Phillipines,cacao nibs from Peru and so it goes on. I try and limit this by buying Irish veg but how do we deal with the consquences of a this huge global market. we can't avoid it..yet..I try my best when ordering overseas to stick with local farmers and support their business, but finding that I have products from China has sent me into a dilema that i am not comfortable to be in morally as well as environmentally..yet I cannot source them anywhere else..how do you feel about your own food dilemas? and what do you do about it?
For people interested in bringing more health into their lives through food.You can use this group to source ingredients, look for local food producers, finding recipes or just asking for advice..
How local is your food?
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Natasha wrote 9 months ago
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Gosh, this bugs me terribly too!!
There's garlic from China & beans from Argentina, & whatnot... It's horrible here in Slovenia, especially if you enter a supermarket!!
There's even half-made meat products (empty dry intestines!) for meat production - from China!! very cheap!! - wonder how environmentally friendly *those* are!! (we are the countryside, grr!! we survived for eons without empty Chinese dry intestines!! - sorry to be gross! they just enfuriated me..)I find growing food oneself (though I'm not really skilled at this!! quite the opposite - but wishing to learn more!) or getting it from someone who does is best... relatives etc, if possible.. though many farmers these days don't grow some stuff & buy instead in da stores! ugh
& even if you grow it yourself, what about the seeds (or garlic from China sold as 'garlic to plant' too!! OoO) - where do they come from?
After watching the Monsanto movie this all has become even more scary to me...
Will FOOD be the ultimate survival thing to war over in the 3rd millenium?
/Basically REALLY made me want to learn to grow my own food, & keep the traditional seeds etc)
& How organic is the 'organic' food from abroad - stricter & more similar laws EU-wide & worldwide (re: allowed substances or air/soil quality in areas where things are grown etc) are needed for this!!
Wish there were some easy-answer alternatives.. It does seem to be rather complex.. hope others could have more helpful solutions or ideas!!
& Natasha, it is GREAT that you are supporting local farmers!! I wish everyone were like you... Many just go for 'cheapest'.. so you are already a step ahead!!
& remember, it is 'one step at the time'... I found some organic things in a health food store, some in the local supermarket (though who knows how organic they are).. Looked for some info on organic farmers here online & called some.. asked everyone I know where they get their stuff.. still learning about it all & trying to find good solutions.. This really is an interesting question & ongoing process, can't believe no one answered it so far! :) -
Busybee replied about 1 month ago
Here's an interesting little piece by poet and essayist Wendell Berry who reads a commentary he wrote on the importance of local food. Berry discusses increasing acreage and perennials, increasing forestry boundaries, and the necessity of scaling down our carbon foot print.
http://fora.tv/2008/08/30/Wendell_Berry_Importance_of_Local_Food
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