And, unless you’ve been spending the last ten years in a nuclear bunker, it’s also the most expensive option. When you consider the price difference, it’s almost as if it’s some kind of food conspiracy.
Fruit, vegetables, fuel, council tax and now even water. Yes, the pre-requisite of life also carries a hefty price in a highly competitive, commercial world: expensive to those who can’t afford it; cheap to those with a tax haven.
Not to worry though, if you’re hungry you can still get great deals on junk food and eat stuff that is detrimental to your vital organs.
If I were of a more cynical nature and didn’t know any better, I would assume that the UK’s cost of living reflects the desire of power-hungry corporations and a detached right-wing government that is intent on crushing the lower classes……..or is that just me?
It’s not even a debate – locally sourced food is better.
Those who know about good food will agree implicitly that locally sourced food is the best option and they will not be swayed and affected by doubt.
It’s not even open for debate in the minds of those who know good food when they eat it. The best chefs are well aware of the benefits that come from choosing locally sourced food that is harvested close to the kitchen.
The evidence is empirical but, unfortunately, not everyone is aware of the ramifications associated with transporting food across large continents.
Here is our take on why locally sourced food is better:
What are the benefits of locally sourced food?
If I first start by explaining why the antithesis of locally sourced food – food that is processed for the sake of a supermarket shelf life – is so unnatural and unhealthy, we can begin to appreciate the alternative option a little bit more.
Everyone is living longer these days, it’s a fact. And if you have ever heard the older generation speak of a time when only certain fruits and vegetables were available to eat at certain times of the year, you will understand that, for the majority of their lives, these people weren’t relying on bland Israeli strawberries and overpriced Spanish greens to survive.
Anyone alive today, born before WWII, will have eaten organic, locally sourced food. The food would have been grown on a local farm at a time determined by the seasons and not by the Walmart family.
We are at the mercy of the miserable seasons in the UK but it’s a natural process. Nature recognises that after a winter of warm, stodgy food, springtime leaves and fresh summer fruits helps our body to function in accordance with the phenomena of the physical world.
The balance begins when water-dense fruit and vegetables become readily available. Watermelons, strawberries, peaches, peppers, celery and broccoli help to keep us hydrated in the summer months by detoxing and filtering the kidneys, thus restoring the body’s pH levels.
Eating in this way is working in accordance with nature and not against it. By forcing pollination under chemical duress, using artificial conditions, the end result may appear picture-perfect – an Instagram specimen – but, in reality, the product tastes as bland as a copper coin and has an equally disappointing nutritional value.
It’s a case of accepting this seasonal transition or living nearer the tropics where the olive and grape grow freely, without harsh frosts and short summers.
The supermarket’s main concern is profit above people and they don’t care if the nutritional benefits of its food are compromised. To keep prices attractively low and ensure that the shelves are well-stocked all year round, supermarkets must transport food over vast distances and often place it in temperature-controlled distribution centres before making it onto the shop floor, to be shelved by minimum wage workers.
The time, the journey, and the conditions all weigh heavily on the nutritional value of the product. Ripe fruits and vegetables contain the most nutrients and the long-distance element amounts to one thing: diminishment.
The big companies can shine it up as much as they like – documenting how the conditions are perfect for globalisation and they are picked at just the right time – but the fact remains, as soon as a plant is picked, cells begin to shrink, compromising the nutritional value.
As those cells are shrinking, the Walmart family profits are expanding to about $4million an hour – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walton_family#:~:text=As%20of%20December%202014%2C%20the,was%20around%20US%24240.6%20billion..
Furthermore, if the fruit has not been allowed to ripen properly, it will be void of rich colour and distinctive flavour. There will be no crunch or fresh, zesty character. The product will have been compromised because the balance of health has been tipped in favour of chemical coatings and long commutes.
Strawberry fields forever deadly.
Take the humble strawberry for instance. Compare the sweet British strawberry in early July with its winter cousin. There is no competition; they’re not even in the same league.
Not only has the strawberry become one of the blandest fruits in the country, it is also continuing to top the list for being the deadliest. Due to the number of toxins found within its juices, the humble strawberry is setting seeds in the wrong kind of publicity – https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/17-toxic-fruits-and-vegetables-you-may-eating-every-day.html
Following the invasion of Ukraine, nothing has highlighted Britain’s reliance on other countries more than the petrol crisis, and Britain is at the mercy of foreign policies until we continue to move towards local sustainability.
Keep the money coming into the economy.
Buying locally helps local businesses survive and thrive. When the food isn’t traversing the globe and bounding over continents and counties it’s better for the environment because the carbon footprint is reduced significantly.
So, when you imagine a large, dank island in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, with a climate perfect for ducks, you would speculate that the island would perhaps, in the 21st century, be moving somewhere close to self-sufficiency.
Despite voting to leave the EU in 2016, the UK relies heavily on the rest of Europe to provide over 40% of its food – https://www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/challenge/uk-threat/- and appears listlessly resigned to relying on everyone else in the world for everything else in the world.
As well as food, the UK imports foreign labour and just about every commodity you can possibly imagine.
We are at the mercy of murderous dictators, greedy tycoons and power-hungry politicians who would rather shake hands with decadent foreign royalty than work with local people.
The 3rd most populated island in the world is where everything from petrol, grains, toilet paper, pasta and peppers appear to be beyond its capacity to produce at home.
Britain relies heavily on every other country for stuff that can be produced at home and, whatever the agenda of other countries, we have to pay the price at the pump.
Every time we import something, money leaves the local economy and we move further away from sustainable self-sufficiency.
To ensure the future of our agricultural community, consumers need to recognise that long-term food security can only be attained in these uncertain times if we move closer to self-sufficiency, and that means buying locally sourced food whenever possible.
Locally sourced food likely organic.
Locally sourced food is also more likely to be organic. Many local farmers produce good organic food but they are unable to afford the recognition of organic certification – despite adhering to an organic process that brings quality and taste to the table. Therefore, when considering quality, the proof is only available on the market.
Organic varieties contain lower levels of pesticides and artificial fertilisers and are more environmentally sustainable by using systems of land management that provide wildlife-friendly land.
With over 70% of the UK’s land being used for farming, we really should be making the most of what Britain has to offer – https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/farming
It’s the winter that is killing us.
It’s almost time to take advantage. We are coming into spring now and, during the summer months, the UK has the ability to produce all its tomatoes, strawberries, greens, blackberries and raspberries. However, by January, we suffer miserably again and are forced to import about 90% of these products from the EU.
We can’t tow the island into the tropics and control our climate – only global warming can do that – but, until then, we can encourage more self-sufficiency by buying locally sourced products as and when we need them.
To conclude:
In case you weren’t reading, here are five valid reasons to eat locally sourced foods:
Five reasons why locally sourced food is better:
Healthier – the organic aspect means that we are consuming fewer harmful chemicals and the freshness of the product equates to a higher nutritional value.
Taste – the flavour is not compromised because the food is fresher and grown under natural conditions; not forced to look picture-perfect with artificial enhancements for commercial gain.
Environment – buying locally reduces the carbon footprint.
Economy – buying locally sourced food benefits the local economy and does not move money away from our shores.
Supermarkets – whilst convenient, the supermarkets are putting profit before people and are only concerned with feeding a healthy bank account and not a healthy population.
craigfloatechef 