Is Local More Expensive?
From the LocalHarvest Newsletter, September 25, 2008
We
get this question a lot: "Is it more expensive to eat local food?"
Usually we try to work our way around the question, speaking with
enthusiasm about the quality and flavor of fresh local food, its
healthfulness, its contribution to the local economy, etcetera.
Sometimes we convince the questioners that they can't look at price
alone, because the quality of stuff that's picked green and trucked in
can't be compared with that of the fresh, vine-ripened produce. Other
times the person hears us out and then says, "So it is more expensive
then, huh."
The truth is, we don't know the answer to the question. As
with so many substantive issues, the real answer is, "It depends." It
depends on the product and the season and the vendor. Depends on
whether its organic and how much of it the farmer or grocer is trying
to move that week. Lots and lots of variables. Still, with the economy
looming large in many people's minds, it seems a good time to try and
find out.
A few days ago I took a notebook to my local
supermarket, made a list of the prices for various fruits and
vegetables, and then compared notes at my farmers market. The organic
produce section at the grocery store was completely cleared out on this
particular day, so I gathered conventional produce prices at the store
and "low spray" at the market. Small watermelons (the ones they're
calling "mini" or "personal size" this year) were $2 at the farmers
market and $4.49 at the store. Local tomatoes at the grocery store were
$2.49 a pound, and $1.50 a pound at the market. Peppers were less
expensive at the market. Winter squash was about the same. Onions were
cheaper at the store.
This small foray into price comparisons
made me want to know more. I would like to have a good answer the next
time a reporter calls to ask me whether 'local' is more expensive. Not
that price is the only measure of value, but it is one, and sometimes
an important one. Moreover, the perception about the relative price of
buying local is also very important.
I'd like to ask for your help.
What
I have in mind is a kind of collective research project. This
newsletter will go out to about 50,000 people. Certainly a few dozen of
you might be interested in doing a little comparative shopping over the
next couple of months and maybe again in the spring? I have a
spreadsheet that I will send to anyone who is interested. You can fill
out the portions of it that apply to the foods that are in season where
you live, and send it back to me. We'll compile all the data and report
the findings back to the group. If you are interested in learning more
about participating in this grassroots research, please contact me.
Meanwhile, please enjoy the rest of the newsletter, and as always, Eat well and take good care -
Erin Barnett, Director, LocalHarvest
www.localharvest.org
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10 Healthiest foods for under $1
By Dr. Mercola
For the full article click
You can’t
tune into the news today without hearing about the rising cost of
living, be it gas for your car, heat for your home, or food for your
family. Many baby boomers are giving up -- or at least stretching out
-- food luxury items such as those coveted fancy coffees, because their
pocketbooks are thinning, along with their hairlines.
In this report, I will give you some ideas for selecting delicious, nutritious items that won’t empty out your bank account.
In 2007, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all
food rose by 4.0 percent, the highest annual increase since 1990. The
CPI for food is forecast to increase another 4.5 to 5.5 percent in 2008
as retailers continue to pass down higher commodity and energy costs to
consumers in the form of higher retail prices.
Most of you are aware of how the skyrocketing
cost of oil is driving food prices rapidly skyward, but you might not
be aware of the huge role biofuels have played in this increase.
According to a confidential World Bank report, biofuels alone have
forced global food prices up by 75 percent.[ii]
According to an Iowa State University study published in May 2008, food
prices have climbed an average of $47 per person since last July due to
the ethanol surge alone.
Of course, you don’t need me to tell you that
your food bill has gone through the roof. Is there anything you can do
to stretch your food dollar, without having to sacrifice nutrition?
Fortunately, you can still find many affordable,
nutritious foods at your farmers market or local nutrition store, or
even at the corner grocery. With a little creative use of your dollar,
you can enjoy the best foods while getting the most “bang for your
buck”.
Below are ten excellent, nutrient-packed food choices that you can still find for around $1 per serving.
- Two Cage Free Organic Eggs: $0.84
- Raw Organic Milk, 8 oz: $0.62
- Raw Nuts and Seeds: Sunflower seeds, raw, 1 oz. = $0.82; Mixed raw nuts, 1/2 oz. = $1.00
- Berries: 1 cup fresh organic blueberries = $0.95
- Watermelon: One-pound slice = $0.59
- Coconut Milk: 7 ounces = $0.98
- Spinach: 5 oz. fresh organic spinach = $0.95
- Garlic: 2 cloves = $0.05
- Wild Rice: One serving = $0.99
- Krill Oil: Two capsules = $0.84
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Organic vs. Non-organic
There's a lot to consider and many points of view. Talk to your farmers and find out what they think and how they farm. Here are some perspectives found on the web:
Organic Food vs. Non-Organic – Which is better? www.organicfoodcorner.com
Organic Foods: Are they Safer? More Nutritous? www.mayoclinic.com
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| Cooking to Learn |
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| Cooking To Learn
Teaching kids to learn through fun,
hands-on activities that instill in them a clear understanding of
cooking and the role food plays in their world. www.cookingtolearn.com
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| Westford Recycles
Composting benefits the environment by reducing the need for pesticides It also reduces Westford's trash collection costs.
Westford residents can purchase an Earth Machine
composter bins at a discounted price of $35 by contacting a Westford
Recycling Commission Member at 978.692.5483.
In 1993 Massachusetts banned yard waste from the trash in an effort
to reduce garbage, save money, utilize valuable organic waste, and
provide nutrient rich compost for home lawns and gardens. Using compost
on the soil adds essential nutrients, improves root growth, and helps
retain moisture, which will help cut down on your water bills. By
placing kitchen scraps,grass clippings, and leaves in your compost bin
instead of in the trash, you will end up with rich conditioner for your
soil that will result in healthier vegetables, flowers, or grass.
Learn more about all kinds of recycling! westfordrecycles.org
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| www.grotonlocal.org |
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Groton Local
Groton Local is a grassroots organization open to anyone interested in seeking local
community solutions to the two major challenges of our times: global warming/climate change
and the coming end of cheap fossil fuels.
The organization was formed out of a concern for the potentially dramatic changes we will face,
along with the belief that we must all be part of the solution.
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| www.batcon.org |
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| Bat Conservation International
More
than 1,100 kinds of bats account for almost a quarter of all mammal
species, yet they receive little support for research and conversation.
Bats are environmental sentinels and are therefore exceptionally
vulnerable to extinction. More than 50% of American bat species are in
severe decline or already listed as endangered. Furthermore, our bats
are currently facing their toughest threat yet, White-Nose Syndrome
(WNS). Learn more about these lovely, amazing and unique animals and why we need to protect them. www.batcon.org
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MUST CLICK!
Recommended visiting:
The Food Project
The Food Project creates fertile ground for new
ideas about youth and adults partnering to create social change through
sustainable agriculture.
www.thefoodproject.org
Rooftop Gardens in Boston
Boston Medical Center rooftop transformed into farming paradise.
learn more
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
The mission of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is to use the
power of public information to protect public health and the
environment.
learn more
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MUST READ!
Recommended reading:
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Animal Vegetable Miracle
by Barbara Kingsolver
This book chronicles the year that Barbara Kingsolver, along with her
husband and two daughters, made a commitment to become locavores - those
who eat only locally grown foods. This first entailed a move away from
their home in non-food-producing Tuscon to a family farm in Virginia,
where they got right down to the business of growing and raising their
own food and supporting local farmers. For teens who grew up on
supermarket offerings, the notion not only of growing one's own produce
but also of harvesting one's own poultry was as foreign as the concept
that different foods relate to different seasons. Source: School Library Journal
www.animalvegetablemiracle.com
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MUST SEE!
Recommended viewing:
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| King Corn |
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King Corn is a feature
documentary about two
friends, one acre of corn,
and the subsidized crop
that drives our fast-food
nation.
In King Corn, Ian Cheney
and Curt Ellis, best friends
from college on the east
coast, move to the heartland
to learn where their food
comes from. With the help
of friendly neighbors,
genetically modified seeds,
and powerful herbicides,
they plant and grow a
bumper crop of America’s
most-productive, most-
subsidized grain on one
acre of Iowa soil. But when
they try to follow their pile
of corn into the food system,
what they find raises
troubling questions about
how we eat—and how we farm.
Source: www.kingcorn.net
For more information, visit:
www.pbs.org/
independentlens/kingcorn
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