Topic > Why it's a good idea to eat local food

Coinciding with contemporary economic and ecological movements, the locavore movement has rapidly gained popularity over the past decade. This movement offers potential solutions to improve health and sustainability issues. People who prefer locally grown produce take a number of factors into consideration, including economics, environment and nutrition. Regardless, locavores will inevitably unleash profound repercussions with long-lasting implications for the community. Therefore, communities organizing a locavore movement must consider the irreversible impact of this lifestyle before adopting it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As the United States attempts to recover from the recession, revitalizing local economies has become increasingly important to both consumers and producers. Locavores have taken this opportunity to advance their movement as “one dollar spent locally generates double the income for the local economy” (Maiser). The local food movement has brought enormous benefits to small farms as well. The movement pressured Congress to allocate $2.3 billion for specialty crops like eggplants, strawberries or salad greens grown by small, mostly organic farmers, “a big increase over the $100 million set aside for such things” in previous Farm Bill (Goigoi). As supporters of local food, locavores also provide small farms and rangelands “an economic reason to remain open and undeveloped” (Maiser). Furthermore, if people take into consideration the future of the planet, protecting the environment seems like a pragmatic idea. Since “eating local is better for air quality and pollution than eating organic” (Maiser), according to a March 2005 study in the journal Food Policy, locavores could convince others to support their cause. However, a 2006 study in New Zealand contradicts this earlier finding. The research revealed that it was more practical for a “Londoner to buy lamb shipped from New Zealand rather than buy lamb reared in the UK” because “New Zealand lamb is raised on pasture with a small carbon footprint, while most English lamb is produced under intensive factory-like conditions with a large carbon footprint” (McWilliams), which overcomes the advantage of local lamb in transporting energy. Due to other extrinsic factors such as “water use, types of fertilizers, processing methods, and packaging techniques” (McWilliams), eating locally may not necessarily prove environmentally friendly. Perhaps even more important than protecting the environment is protecting the environment. your health through correct nutrition. Locally grown produce is fresher, and “freshness not only affects the taste of the food, but the nutritional value also decreases with time” (Maiser). Logically, fruits and vegetables that undergo a long period of transportation tend to be harvested before they reach maximum ripeness to ensure that this product does not rot before reaching its destination. This practice harms the health of human beings because “phytochemicals and really powerful disease-fighting substances” never reach very high levels if the food does not reach its maximum maturation (Maiser). Additionally, eating locally protects people from bioterrorism because "Food with a shorter distance to travel from farm to plate is less..