As Canadians sit down to dinner they might consider starting the meal with a quick game of “I spy.” Which foods spied on the dinner table come from local farms?
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Figure. Is your food from local farms? Photo by: Art Explosion
It is unclear how many would be able to answer the question, because most of us have no idea where our food comes from. A growing number of community nutritionists say this is a shame,1 because if we pay attention only to nutritional content and taste, we cannot create a truly sustainable diet. They say we should determine where foods are grown, because “local” is the new environmental imperative.1
Most foods now travel more than the people who eat them. Thanks to reliable refrigeration, freezing, food preservation, storage and transportation, it is possible to purchase — in Winnipeg, in January — fresh yellow peppers that were grown thousands of kilometres away.1
But as pleasing as this is to our palate and sense of esthetics, the pleasure comes at considerable cost. The energy expenditure, in transportation and refrigeration, is unconscionable (www .lead.org /leadnet /footprint). The food may come from countries that are not feeding their own populations. The purchase of produce from remote, intensive, single-crop industries also leaves local farmland unsupported and vulnerable to development. And the sheer vastness of the international food-supply industry, particularly in poorer countries, where public health infrastructure support is inadequate, stretches the food inspection and safety system beyond capacity. This leaves consumers vulnerable to large-scale outbreaks of food-borne diseases.1
Community nutritionists have identified several reasons why the more sustainable (and sensible) approach is to buy locally: not only does the food taste better because it is fresher, but the purchases also support local farms. Buying locally helps to preserve genetic diversity — local farms tend to grow a variety of crops in order to provide a long harvest season — and it supports the preservation of farmland, keeping the local food supply secure. The crops themselves capture carbon emissions and help combat global warming, and they reduce reliance on the fossil fuels needed to transport food great distances. According to a recent study, growing just 10% more produce in a regional system would result in an annual savings of 1.2 million to 1.4 million L of fuel and an annual reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 3 million to 3.5 million kg.2
Food localism is a public health issue — a matter of awareness, governance and leadership.3 The long-term health of a community's food system is an important indicator of its vitality and sustainability. Food-policy development and planning is a critical element that links production and distribution aspects of a local food economy. As recognition of this grows, so too will recognition of the source of the food on our tables.
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Erica Weir CMAJ
Footnotes
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Ellen Desjardins, Kathy Lepp and Katherine Pigott of Healthy Communities and Policy, Region of Waterloo Public Health, Waterloo, Ont., assisted in the preparation of this article.