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You’ve probably seen stores like Whole Foods and Wal-Mart advertise lately their “local” produce. But what does “locally grown” really mean? The definition for one person, may be completely different for the next. Does local mean it was produced in the same state? How far does food have to travel before it’s no longer considered local? Even while researching the subject, there seems to be widespread confusion over the matter.

Sometimes I feel like the “locally grown” label is just another marketing push by retailers. I can understand the family owned grocery store who buys produce from farmers that are within, say 100 miles as advertising themselves as local. But Wal-Mart? They are the nations largest retailer! Their official definition is if it’s grown in the same state as it’s sold. “Even if that’s a state as big as Texas and the food comes from a farm half the size of Manhattan”. While Whole Foods definition is “anything produced within seven hours of one of its stores”.

Yet this begs another question, is local necessarily safer? “Consumers tend to think of local products — namely fruits and vegetables — as fresher because they’re grown “close to home” and they generally come from small farmers”. While it’s true that the less time food spends being transported from place to place that it’s fresher. But what if it was produced using harmful chemicals, that does not necessarily make it safer than, organic strawberries from California sold in Michigan. Unlike organic labels, there are no regulations for locally grown food. What’s marketed as local in one state, may also be available nationwide. The Hartman Group surveyed consumers and “showed that 52% said it was important for them to buy local goods whenever possible; vs. 23% who said the same for organic.” Which definitely shows the growing popularity of locally produced food.

I’m a big foodie myself and it is hard to buy healthy food. There’s the issue of price and then whether or not I should wait till Friday for my local farmer’s market or go to Whole Foods to buy fresh produce. Hopefully the locally grown label will become more standardized to make it easier for consumers. But who knows how far off that might be. Just some food for thought!

-Danielle-

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