Local food

Eating local (locavorism) means favouring products grown or reared close to home (short supply chains, markets, community-supported agriculture schemes, direct sales). It values freshness, seasonality, a link with the producer and support for the regional economy.

Local is not always greener: an important counter-intuitive point, as “local” is not automatically better for the environment. Transport often accounts for only a small share (about 10%) of a food’s carbon footprint. What matters more is the method of production.

Striking examples:

1. A local winter tomato grown in a heated greenhouse can emit more CO₂ than a seasonal tomato shipped from a warm country
2. Lamb imported from New Zealand (grass-fed) can have a smaller footprint than intensively fed local lamb
3. Sea freight emits very little per kg; it is air freight (perishable “exotic” goods) that wrecks the balance sheet

So “local” is a good guide, but seasonality and production method often matter more than distance. A food that is local AND seasonal AND minimally processed is optimal.

The real benefits of local:

1. Freshness: less time between harvest and plate, so more nutrients preserved (vitamins degrade with time and transport) and better taste
2. Support for the local economy and small producers
3. Social connection and transparency: knowing your producer and their methods
4. Local varieties: preserving cultivated biodiversity (old, non-standardised varieties)
5. Less packaging (often) in short supply chains

The limits:

1. Not always accessible (price, availability, time)
2. “Local” is not regulated (no strict definition of distance)
3. Guarantees neither organic status nor nutritional quality in itself

In practice: combining local, seasonal and a sensible production method is the real optimum, more than local alone. Eating local and in season is a good, simple guide, without making it an absolute dogma (some quality imported foods have their place).