More Urbanites Buying into Local Food Trend
October 10, 2007 · Print This Article
On our Green Living page and in a previous post I discussed the positive impact on our environment of buying locally grown food. A recent feature by environment reporter Catherine Porter with the Toronto Star newspaper stated that 91 percent of people in that paper’s province (Ontario) would buy locally grown food if they could find it in the grocery store.
Those kinds of statistics haven’t gone unnoticed by green entrepreneurs and savvy urban dwellers. A non profit Toronto company has begun to certify food as “sustainable - which means it was produced in Ontario in a way that’s gentle on the environment and strict on worker and animal rights.”
The company, Local Food Plus, has certified 50 farmers and food processors in the region who abide by these ethical principles. Toronto’s largest independent grocery store, Fiesta Farms, is a large client for Local Food Plus, providing city dwellers with easy access to locally grown food.
Just last weekend my husband and I ventured out to the inner city to visit one of our all time favourite farmer’s markets - the St. Lawrence Market. It’s located close to the waterfront and is among one of the happiest places to be early on a Saturday morning. The bustle of urbanites sifting through freshly baked breads, scented basil and sage, fresh cuts of meat and all manner of locally grown fruits and vegetables was a treat for all the senses.
The Toronto Star reports that Local Food Plus can not keep up with the demand as farmers are lining up to be certified.
“The idea is not to provide consumers a one-stop shop for their 100-mile diet. LFP aims to correct some redundancies in our food system” and stop the crazy practice of shipping locally grown food overseas and importing things we grow locally (like apples) from China.
So whether you live near the countryside or in one of our continent’s great old cities, take the time to search out your local farmer’s market because what you eat can and will affect your environment.
Tags: Green Living, New Urbanism
I know I would buy almost entirely local veggies and fruits if it was in my regular grocery store. It is at Whole Foods so I look for those Ohio signs…but I guess that could be beyind a 100 miles….plus it takes me 45 minutes to get to Whole Foods.