What Are The Benefits Of Buying Locally Produced Food?

There are several excellent benefits to buying locally produced food that will help the producer, the community, and of course you, the consumer. Although it’s tempting to head to the grocery store and pick up whatever happens to be on sale. This might not be the best thing you can do in terms of your health, your bank account, and to become more environmentally friendly. Read on to find out What are the Benefits of Buying Locally Produced Food?

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You’ll Eat Seasonal Food

Eating seasonally is something that we all used to do all the time; we could only eat the foods that could be grown at that specific time of year, and often in that local area. Of course, thanks to technology and different production methods, it’s possible to buy strawberries or asparagus at any time you want it, but when doing this, you don’t necessarily get the freshest flavor. 

If you eat seasonally instead, the flavors will be bigger and bolder because no artificial methods would have been used to produce the food. You’ll even get to try different food that you might not have eaten before. Local growers and producers who offer seasonal foods know what you should be buying. The selection will be more limited which is not, in this case, a bad thing.

You’ll Get More Nutrients

Because there is a much shorter time between when the food is harvested and when you eat it, locally produced food will retain many more of its nutrients. The longer period there is between harvest and getting to the consumers plate, the fewer nutrients will be left, and the less healthy the food will be. You might think you’re getting all the vitamins and minerals you need each day, but if you’re not buying local fresh food, this might not be the case. 

You’ll Know About The Food Production

When you’re buying from a big store you won’t ever have the chance to speak to the actual growers and producers of the food. You’ll never get the full story of how that food was grown and what makes it special. When you buy local you can definitely discover the entire story that goes with the food.

Whether you’re buying corn for your chowder, turkey for this delicious smoked turkey recipe, zucchini to make spaghetti, or berries for a wonderful dessert, you can ask the grower as many questions as you need too. You’ll understand exactly what it is you’re eating and why it was a good choice.

You’ll Help The Local Community

When you spend your money with local food producers and farmers, that money is more likely to stay in the local community, and the more this happens, the healthier your local economy will be. This means better housing, healthcare, schools, open parkland, and much more. The more money coming into a community, the happier the residents are and the better the area is taken care of by those who live there. 

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