Greater Des Moines Buy Fresh Buy Local

New to the locavore scene? Looking to support local farms, but don’t know where to start? If so, the Buy Fresh Buy Local (BFBL) program is the resource for you. The goal of this national program started by FoodRoutes is to connect consumers to local food. Chapters can be found across the nation and Des Moines is lucky to have an active chapter hosted by the Drake University Agricultural Law Center and Iowa Heartland Resource Conservation and Development.

One of the best local food resources is the biannual directory developed by Greater Des Moines BFBL which lists farms, farmers’ markets and businesses that sell locally grown food. The 2011-2012 directory included 81 farms and 22 businesses. The directory is available free of charge online and in stores such as Gateway, Campbell’s, and Tallgrass.

Another great resource from Greater Des Moines BFBL is the free electronic newsletter produced one to three times per month depending on the season. The newsletter features local events and highlights what produce is in season. You can read current and archived issues here and sign up for the mailing list to be notified when a new issue is released.

Take the Pledge!

Show your support to local food by taking the BFBL Pledge which states that you will spend at least 10% of your weekly food dollars with participating BFBL partners. Take the pledge online or at the BFBL table at the Downtown Farmers’ Market.

Tallgrass Grocery Coop

If you strive to buy local, organic food and you live in the Des Moines area, your life just got a little easier. West Des Moines is a Mecca for Iowan shoppers with a variety of stores, but until now, there hasn’t been a grocer dedicated to local foods. Enter Tallgrass.

Tallgrass Grocery Coop opened its doors in Valley Junction on September 15^th, 2011. The retail cooperative’s mission is to provide access to healthy, local, organic food and products at reasonable prices. Their goal is to sell food without fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, or artificial ingredients.

Although you don’t have to be a member to shop, a lifetime membership of $100 earns you a 5% discount on everything in the store, a weekly newsletter, and discounts on bulk orders, classes, and events.

Visit the store and website for more information:

Valley Junction
116 5^th Street
West Des Moines, IA 50265
515-277-7750

www.tallgrassgrocery.com

Why Local Food?

Benefits of buying local food:

• Fresher

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."