Food Miles.
There are many reasons to choose to shop as locally as is convenient for you. Of course, cooking with local produce is very important here at connections catering. We thought we would take a little time to explain a few reasons why.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The further our food is transported, the more greenhouse gas that's emitted into our environment. Shockingly, the food in a standard basket of food in an Australian shoppers hands has travelled a whopping 70,000km (the equivalent to driving around Australia's coastline three whole times!). Buying food produced locally can cut down on your greenhouse gas emissions substantially.
Fresher = Healthier
Produce purchased from many supermarkets is often cold-stored in transit for days or weeks, whilst local product can be picked as recently as the previous 24 hours. Locally produced fruit and vegetables are generally allowed longer to ripen as they do not need to stand up to the rigours of being carted around the country (or even internationally). If you're lucky enough to have a local farmer producing heirloom varieties, event better! Heirloom varieties generally have greater nutrients because the focus on today's hybrids have usually been bred to focus more on yield, than on taste or nutritional value.
Support our local farmers!
By supporting locally grown food, you will help not only support local farmers but keep money within your community. When buying produce from a supermarket rather than farmers markets etc., the farmer can get as little as a few cents to the dollar. $1 for 2 litres of milk, anyone? Our farmers are so important, they need to earn a proper income so they can afford to continue doing what they do best, growing and producing our food. Buying locally can ensure that they can continue to thrive!
If you have your own ways for reducing your food miles, please comment below. We would love to hear from you!