Local food: the closer, the better
Posted Mar 4, 2010 By Dianne Oickle
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Tweet ThisEMC Lifestyle - March is Nutrition Month. This year, the theme 'Celebrate Food: From Field to Table' encourages consumers to think about the food they purchase, where it comes from, and the benefits to the local community of consuming foods that are produced in our own communities.
What does the term "local food" mean?
There is no one definition of "local food" that is considered right or wrong. Local food is often defined as "food that is grown in a local area, supporting a local economy." Some see "local" as being a very small sized geographical area - e.g., within a town, county, or certain kilometer distance from consumption. Businesses with specific retail targets may view "local" in a broader sense, whereas a local farm may consider "local" to be the area within a day's driving distance from the point of production.
Since there is no one definition of "local food", think "the closer the better". Food grown in your own community is the most local. But food grown in eastern Ontario, for example, might be the next closest step. Food produced in Ontario would be closer than from other provinces. And food grown in Canada is more local than that imported from other countries.
What is a "locavore"?
The New Oxford American Dictionary defines a locavore as someone who seeks out locally produced food. Others may expand this to mean a person who eats food produced within a certain radius of their area - 50 km, 100 km, or other distance. Locally grown food is an environmentally friendly means of obtaining food, since supermarkets that import their food use more fossil fuels and non-renewable resources to have those foods available at their site.
A study cited by the David Suzuki Foundation website estimates that a basic North American meal travels 2,400 km from field to table - roughly the driving distance from Regina to Toronto. The whole goal of being a locavore is to make this distance as short as possible.
Being a locavore year round can be a challenge for fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, some basic and healthy foods are not grown in Canada (e.g., bananas, oranges). In the warmer months, take advantage of the local harvest to eat delicious, nutritious fruits and vegetables every day. This is also the time to start freezing, home canning and preserving if you want to have a ready supply of local foods.
What about the labeling of "local" food?
It may be difficult to tell from a product label if a food is produced locally, or if a locally produced food is transported through the industrial food system before it makes its way back to a local store.
If a food is labeled Product of Canada, it means that all major ingredients and labour used to make the food product must come from Canada. It's OK for minor items like spices, food additives, vitamins, and minerals that may be produced outside of Canada to be in the product and still be labeled as Product of Canada. Also, ingredients not grown in Canada, such as oranges, cane sugar or coffee, when present at very low levels, may be considered minor ingredients.
The label Made in Canada may be used when a food product is manufactured or processed in Canada regardless of whether the ingredients are imported or domestic or both. The last substantial transformation of the product must have happened in Canada, even if some ingredients are sourced from other countries. The claim may be modified to state "Made in Canada from imported ingredients" or "Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients". To learn more, visit: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/inform/prodcane.shtml.
This nutrition month, make an effort to eat more foods that are produced closer to home. Maybe there is a little bit of "locavore" in all of us.
Dietitians of Canada has some great resources on their website about this year's Nutrition Month theme.
Visit their website at www.dietitians.ca.
Fore free resources and more information about local foods in Leeds, Grenville, and Lanark, call the toll-free Health action line at 1-800-660-5853 (613-345-5685). Also, visit our website at www.healthunit.org/nutrition.
Dianne Oickle, MSc, RD, is a Registered Dietitian/Public Health Nutritionist with the Leeds, Grenville, and Lanark District Health Unit.
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