Benefits of buying local food:When you buy directly from the farmer, you often buy it within a day or two of harvest. Fresher food tastes better and retains more nutrients.
- Better for the environment
Buying within your community saves fossil fuel because the food doesn’t have to transported from thousands of miles away.
- Know your farmer, know your food
Buying local allows you to build relationships with farmers. This creates transparency in production and allows you to learn more about how your food is produced.
Angie Tagtow, MS, RD, LD, Owner of Environmental Nutritional Solutions, shares another benefit:
"We as eaters really need to evaluate where our food is coming from. Right now Iowans are really dependent on food from a national supply chain, as well as an international supply chain, and that heavy reliance on those top two tiers of supply chains really creates a vulnerability within our food system. When we look at local, and regional supply chains, and if we can build those up, that would not only create more of a secure food supply system for all of us but also put more fresh, seasonal foods on our plates."
