Written by Emily Gastellum
It’s easy to wander through a grocery store without thinking about where the food that you’re buying came from. I mean, surely they wouldn’t sell you bad food, right?
This hit me the other day when I bought a bag of Gala apples from Walmart. After just one day, they were all mushy and spoiled, but the day before they looked just fine. I had bought old food!
Previously, I had always strived to eat organically, but with the price of organic food and lack of selection, I was not able to do this for all products. After the experience at Walmart, though, I decided to put more time and effort into finding better alternatives- even if it meant paying more. What is your health really worth to you anyway?
I found an interesting, helpful website in my endeavors to find fresh local products (foodroutes.org). The site provides information on eating naturally and the benefits of buying local products. It also gave a few suggestions on where and how to buy natural foods:
- Community Supported Agriculture: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is an arrangment or partnership made between community members and a particular local farm. In a CSA farm, consumers can purchase seasonal “shares” which entitle them to weekly food allowances.
- Farmers Markets: Farmers markets come in many different sizes and forms, providing a wide range of opportunities for both the consumer and the farmer. For one thing, farmers markets are a very convenient way to purchase local goods. Producers from around the area will bring their produce to a centralized location on a periodic basis throughout the growing season. Consumers have the opportunity to browse the goods and shop around for the best quality.
- Farm Stands, On-Farm Markets: The farm stand andon-farm market give you the opportunity to purchase goods directly from farmers at their own independent locations. These may vary from small sheds or trucks selling one seasonal crop like strawberries or corn to warehouse-sized year-round operations with a diversity of products. A U-Pick farm gives consumers the unique opportunity to harvest their own produce (typically fruit). Usually operating only during the summer and fall, U-Picks may offer a variety of items including strawberries, blueberries, kiwis, pumpkins, and more.
- Food Cooperatives: Food cooperatives, or food co-ops, are member-owned retail businesses dedicated to serving the community by providing the highest quality grocery items at the best value. They are typically owned by members who pay fees to use co-op services. Most times you can buy from a co-op even if you are not a member, but membership usually provides multiple benefits.
- Food Buying Clubs: Food Buying Clubs are groups of people who place wholesale orders together for supplies. These clubs are often run by volunteer members, who perform most of the decision-making, receiving, distribution, and business tasks. They offer a variety of benefits for the consumer.
Additionally, foodroutes had an interesting discussion as to how to implement acollege programto provide local and/or natural food to students. These programs not only provide healthier food, but also support environmental and social causes. If Harding could do this, we would be supporting our community farmers as well as taking a part in saving the environment from hazardous waste and the loss of biodiversity.
More so, if we (the students/faculty) wanted to change this problem, we have to spend the extra dollar to support farmers and supermarkets that provide these products. It’s all about supply and demand.
Visitfoodroutes.orgfor more information on how you can make a change.
