Local Food: Does It Matter What You Eat?

by Brian Raison, Extension Educator, Community Development, Ohio State University Extension; Reviewed by Beth Bridgeman, Extension Educator, Ohio State University Extension, and David Crawford, Extension Educator, Ohio State University Extension

Everybody eats. Period. Some of us prefer hamburgers. Some like veggies. Almost all like to choose items from the “cake food group.” (Okay. That’s not really in the food pyramid.)

But what you eat is only the beginning. Here’s operate, and how you and your family can be something else to ask yourself: Does it matter involved in creating positive changes. As they where your food comes from? Is there any say, “You are what you eat.” And if that’s true, difference between tomatoes grown locally vs. you must ask if you are eating in a manner those that arrive on a truck from 1,500 miles that positively affects your 4-H club, your away? What does chemical ripening of fruits community, your country, and your world. and vegetables mean? Is that safe? Can what you eat really impact the environment … Why local food? positively or negatively? Have you been hearing the recent news reports on local foods? It seems more and more people The goal of this project is to learn about what are planting gardens or making a point to you eat, where it comes from, and how it buy their food from a farmer in their local impacts the environment. You will learn about community. Why do you suppose that is? the concept of local food systems, how they Do you think locally grown food is healthier,

Plan Your Project Use this idea starter AND publication 4-H 365 Self-Determined Project Guide as the starting place for your 4-H self-determined project. The Self-Determined Project Guide is available from your county OSU Extension office or on the web at www.ohio4h.org/selfdetermined. You may choose to do a little or a lot depending on your level of interest. Be sure to register your project with your county OSU Extension office. 2 fresher, cleaner, or better tasting? and produced foods. The Rural environment. Transportation There’s certainly a lot to consider! Life Center at Kenyon College in costs (by truck, rail, or air) must Gambier, Ohio, produced a brief be added to the price each of us Let’s begin with the news reports. fact sheet providing some key pays. The transporting vehicle Along with the local foods points. burns fossil fuels that pollute the interests, other stories detail all environment. Often, packaging kinds of food recalls. It seems 1. Freshness. Local fruits and is heavier to protect contents that every month you hear about vegetables are usually harvested traveling great distances. And another batch of contaminated and sold more quickly so they preservatives may be applied to food along with warnings do not contain the preservatives maintain freshness. All of these about eating it. Killer peanut that are added to products things have a negative impact on butter. Killer spinach. Killer shipped long distances and the environment. dog food. What’s next? Is some placed in storage. contaminated item already in your Next, economies of scale must be freezer? Help! 2. Taste. Produce that is ripened considered. What does that mean? on the vine has better texture Well, to give an example, one large Clearly, the big question today is and flavor than produce truck that carries 50,000 pounds of this: Can we do anything to ensure harvested unripe, then treated tomatoes may cause less pollution a safe and nutritious food supply? with chemicals and ripened than 50 smaller trucks carrying Luckily, the short answer is yes. during shipping. 1,000 pounds each. However, the Basic supply-and-demand 3. Nutrition. Nutritional value packaging, preservatives, and economics can and will influence declines — often drastically — lack of freshness still remain as a market. This holds true with as time passes after harvesting. negatives. And don’t forget the the local foods market. What money. Would you rather help do these words mean? Well, if 4. Improving the local economy. create and maintain food-related customers demand (I prefer to ask When you buy homegrown jobs in your local community or politely) that their local grocers food, you circulate your food send your dollars out of state? dollars inside the local area. and restaurants sell locally grown To really understand what’s most foods, the grocers and restaurants 5. Strengthening producer/ important about the food we eat, will begin thinking about doing consumer relations. When we need to understand the entire it. And thinking about it is a start. purchasing food locally, food system. Then, as the demand increases consumers can ask how and people stop shopping in the product was grown and What is a food system? stores that don’t sell local produce processed, what chemicals (if A food system is the often complex and DO shop in stores that do, any) were used, and any other network of food producers the shops really take notice and questions they may have. People (farmers), food consumers (eaters), begin offering selections from tend to trust individuals they and the businesses that link them local farms. They supply what the know, and they become repeat together. The five key links of this customer demands or the customer buyers. food-chain are (1) production, goes somewhere else! (2) distribution, (3) processing, What about the environment? Now, the next question is this: (4) consumption, and (5) waste Does it really matter? Is the local On average, most food travels recovery. over 1,500 miles before it reaches food better? Is it less likely to be A local food system does more contaminated? Again, the quick our plates. These are called food miles. That distance obviously than just connect growers, answer is yes. There are quite a businesses, and consumers in a few reasons to buy locally grown has a negative impact on the

The five key links of the food-chain are 1. Production 2. Distribution 3. Processing 4. Consumption 5. Waste Recovery 3 region. It considers the bigger • Community development: fossil fuels and related carbon issues of health and nutrition, Farmers’ markets, quick-stop emissions. fresh-food centers, community economic development, • Urban-rural partnerships: and market gardens, and other environmental sustainability, Local food systems can help outlets for local food can im- and overall community strength. connect urban and rural prove health in neighborhoods Together, these elements populations by encouraging while creating spaces for people greatly impact how people in a social interaction and business to gather, socialize, learn, and community live and interact. partnerships. This helps build enjoy life as a community. Increasingly, these elements are stronger regional economies. governed by food policies. • Economic development: How about our food rights? What is food policy? There are many new business opportunities in food Everyone has certain rights. Right? A food policy consists of the rules production, distribution, Our nation’s founders wrote and regulations that govern how processing, and restaurant or the Bill of Rights to guarantee food is produced and distributed. food service operations. individual freedoms. More These are generally run by a Food recently, an Air Traveler’s Bill of • Urban agriculture and Policy Council whose primary Rights was proposed to protect gardening: Many cities goal is to cultivate a stronger passengers after hundreds of have seen population loss and more sustainable local food travelers were stranded on an from downtown and close- system in order to bring benefits to airplane for 16 hours with no food, in neighborhoods in recent residents of a region. Some of these drink, or bathrooms. include years. Vacant lots provide opportunities for green space But what about food? People can • Food access: Many inner-city to support community gardens, die from eating contaminated neighborhoods are considered market gardens, or native plant food. The National Catholic Rural “food deserts” where it’s difficult preserves. These increase the Life Conference recently proposed for residents to find foods supply of healthy foods. an Eaters’ Bill of Rights. It outlines needed to support a healthy the basic rights of having safe, diet. The supermarkets have • Environmental sustainability: nutritious, and affordable food. left the neighborhoods and Since most food travels so Some highlights are listed in the the only place to buy food is far, increasing the use of local box below. at a convenience store. Locally food can reduce reliance on based food systems can help connect local growers and Eaters’ Bill of Rights urban residents, adding to the • Eaters have a right to safe and nutritious food. availability of healthy foods. • Eaters around the world have a right to a secure food system. • Eaters have a right to good food at a fair price. • Health and nutrition: A local • Eaters have a right to know if food is produced locally or transported for food policy can help increase thousands of miles. the availability of fresh fruits • Eaters have a right to know whether food has been genetically and vegetables. This can help modified. balance the tendency in our • Eaters have a right to food produced without harming air, water, or land. society to eat highly processed • Eaters have a right to food produced under socially just circumstances. “fast foods” that cause heart • Eaters have a right to know the conditions of their food production: disease, diabetes, and other —Is the environment harmed? diet-related illnesses. Also, —Are the animals treated with dignity and respect? a food policy can encourage —Is the food produced on farms by family farmers or by factories? improved institutional nutrition —Are the farmers paid a just wage? standards at schools, hospitals, —Do farm workers have safe and healthy working conditions? businesses, etc. 4

Areas of Interest and Things to Do Every self-determined project can be broken down into areas of interest. These are specific things members want to address during their project adventure. Using 4-H 365 Self-Determined Project Guide, identify at least three (3) areas of interest with at least three (3) activities per area to explore. Take your ideas from the list below or make up your own.

Food at Your House: What’s in ☐☐ Start a compost bin in your kitch- Food in Your Community: Where your refrigerator? en. Keep it clean and fresh by can you buy local foods? ☐☐ Meal Planning: Incorporate emptying it every few days into a ☐☐ Start where you shop! Ask your at least 2 locally grown or compost pile outside. Go online supermarket produce manager produced foods into your and check out “Composting for if they purchase foods that are family meals each week for one Kids” from Texas A&M Exten- grown or produced locally. Dig month. (Next month, try for sion Service at http://sustainable. deep. Ask for their definition three or four!) tamu.edu/kindergarden/ of “local.” Do they consider it kidscompost/cover.html ☐☐ Family Food Assessment: within a 50-mile radius? Or is it Survey your family’s eating ☐☐ Plan and plant a small garden 250 miles? Not all “local” labels habits. Make a list of the types this spring (if you don’t have one are equal. of foods your family eats. Think already). If space is an issue, try ☐☐ Investigate restaurants in your about whether some of these cherry tomatoes, herbs, beans, or town that serve locally grown or foods can be purchased from snow peas in patio or window sill produced foods. The next time local growers or producers. pots. your family eats out, ask to go Discuss this during a meal ☐☐ Do a report for your class or to one of them. (And remember with your family. What do they club meeting on what you’ve to tell the restaurant why you think? discovered under the “Food at chose them!) ☐☐ Family Food Survey: Review Your House” topic. ☐☐ Investigate farmers’ markets your family’s food shopping in your area. How many are Food at Your School: What are they habits. there? What days/hours do they serving? 1. Make a list of the stores operate? What types of foods where your family usually ☐☐ Ask your school cafeteria director and products do they sell? if they serve any local foods. Dig buys their food. ☐☐ : Go online and deep. Ask why or why not? CSA Sign-Up 2. Are the stores owned locally search for any Community or are they regional/ national ☐☐ Do a quick Internet search on Supported Agriculture (CSA) chains? “local food in schools” and write or Food Co-Op operating 3. Why does your family a short essay (2 or 3 paragraphs) in your area. Investigate the choose to shop there? describing your findings. Could pricing structure. Compare it to 4. Does your family ever shop your school participate? What supermarket expenses. Discuss at farmers’ markets? foods would be easy to begin with your family the benefits of 5. If not, what would make with? fresh food, and what it means them stop and shop there? ☐☐ Organize a campaign to ask to buy directly from a local 6. Are you concerned with food your school to offer fruit that is farmer. If they agree, sign up for safety? List 4 things that grown locally. Include vending the program! might cause concerns. machines! ☐☐ Do a report for your class or 7. Are you aware of the food ☐☐ Share “Related Resources” (found club on what you’ve discovered eco-footprint? List 4 ways on the next page), like “Farm under this “Food in Your that food production and to School” with your school Community” topic. distribution might negatively principal. impact the environment. 5

Food in Your World: Where does ☐☐ Tag along on your family’s next ☐☐ Write a short essay (2 or 3 it come from? Is there a balance grocery store trip and ask if paragraphs) on why it’s okay between local and far? you can purchase some fruit to purchase and eat foods ☐☐ Conduct a food-origins survey: or vegetable that you’ve never that are from far away. Think Go to any grocery store, look eaten before. What country about health benefits (e.g., at the fruit, and make a list of does it come from? Do you eating citrus that is rich with all the countries (non-U.S.) the like the taste? What are the vitamin C during cold and flu fruit comes from. Which is nutritional benefits (naturally season). Does health outweigh farthest away? Which is closest? occurring vitamins)? Would the transportation issue? What one surprised you most? you buy it again? ☐☐ Choose your favorite tropical Is there one you’ve never heard ☐☐ Do a quick Internet search fruit (e.g., mangos!) and write a of? on “fair trade” foods. Is this short essay (2 or 3 paragraphs) ☐☐ Make a list of foods that are labeling system helpful to about a country where they are difficult or impossible to people in other countries? grown. get “locally” (e.g., bananas, Do you think it helps the papaya, coffee … unless you environment? Write a short live in Central America or the essay (2 or 3 paragraphs) on Tropics!) why or why not.

Related Resources www.usda.gov/knowyourfarmer — This is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) effort to create new economic opportunities by better connecting consumers with local producers. It underscores the importance of understanding where your food comes from and how it gets to your plate. www.farmtoschool.org/ — Farm to School connects schools (K–12) and local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias; improving student nutrition; providing agriculture, health, and nutrition education opportunities; and supporting local and regional farmers. www.LocalHarvest.org/ — Local Harvest is a not-for-profit web site designed to help consumers find fresh locally grown foods in neighborhoods throughout the United States, including Farmers’ Markets, CSAs, U-Picks, and more. www.centerforfoodsafety.org/ — The Center for Food Safety is a public interest and environmental advocacy organization that works to address the impacts of our food production system on human health, animal welfare, and the environment. www.sare.org/ — The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded initiative that sponsors competitive grants for sustainable agriculture research and education in a regional process nationwide. www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/ — USDA Database of Community Supported Agriculture Farms and Resources. www.foodsecurity.org/ — The Community Food Security Coalition’s goal is that all community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community self- reliance and social justice.

www.ohio4h.org/selfdetermined

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