Eating local has become somewhat of a phenomenon. In Victoria, we are blessed to be surrounded by an abundance of amazing producers, farmers, growers, and artisanal shops. This not only makes eating local easy but also gives us a vast quantity of choices.
In high school, my chef was an advocate of the slow-food movement. The movement promotes knowing your growers and farmers, appreciating where your food comes from, and taking the time to sit down to enjoy a meal and connect with those important to us, which is, admittedly, not always an easy thing to achieve in our ever-so-busy lives.
So, what exactly is it about eating locally that is so important?
For one, and this is the most important factor for me, when we eat and shop local we are building community. Most farms on the south island are run by families. Purchasing from them doesn’t just benefit them; in turn, they put that money back into our local economy. Most producers are also involved with one or more of a large number of charities and food programs. Community, to me, is knowing your neighbours and working for the benefit of all within that community, especially those who are less fortunate.
Furthermore, eating locally and seasonally has many health benefits for our bodies and minds. It aids in our digestion, improves our immune system, helps prevent allergies, and provides our bodies a way to align with the seasons. As an added benefit, it keeps menus fresh and promotes creativity in what you are putting into your body.
Food plays a major role in our carbon footprint. For example, whenever I’m in someone’s house and I’m cooking for them, I always find the same ingredient: Himalayan pink salt. I get it—it’s trendy, it’s pink, and it tastes much better than sodium chloride. That being said, it’s mined from a single source in the Punjab region of Pakistan. Now imagine how many factories and transport ships and how much fuel it takes for that salt to arrive in your cupboard. Why not look toward our coast, where I know of at least two sea-salt producers within a 30-kilometre radius?
So next time, before you go to Walmart to buy your produce out of convenience, perhaps stop and think of just who or what you could be benefiting by shopping locally. Who knows? It could even be you.