A growing group of people, known as locavores, aren't basing their diets off calorie restrictions, protein shakes or carbohydrate intake, but instead, by how close to home their food is grown.
Locavores, who are exclusively in search of fresh, locally-grown foods, limit their diets to food grown and produced within a restricted radius -- typically keeping it within one hundred miles.
Produce purchased from supermarkets in the United States, on average, travels 1,300 to 2,000 miles from the farm to the store, according to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. Food that is shipped from thousands of miles away may be sitting on a truck for weeks, compared to locally grown food which, on average, is sold at farmers’ markets and small stores within 24 hours of being harvested.
There are a number of considerations people may take into account when choosing to become a locavore: some do so in support of local farmers and the regional economy, while others want to reduce the size of their carbon footprint. Many people become locavores for health reasons, or simply because they think locally grown foods taste better.
Just like any other diet, there are different variants of the locavore diet:
Ultra-strict locavores: Those who avoid all ingredients that have not been grown and produced locally.
Marco Polo locavores: Those who incorporate dried spices into their diet – items sailors could carry along while at sea – but keep all other ingredients local.
Wild card locavores: Those who follow a less restrictive diet, and usually consume a few indulgences, such as coffee, sugar, chocolate or olive oil, outside of their radius.
Depending on their place of residency, locavores primarily shop at farmers' markets, roadside and farm stands, food co-ops and community supported agricultural groups. Many are self-sustainable, and rely at least somewhat on maintaining their own gardens.
As farmers' markets continue to grow in popularity – CNN reports an increase of $888 million in 2000 to $1 billion in 2005 – locavores are finding them to be one of the most important shopping venues in the local food movement. Not only do they typically sell meats and poultry, dairy, eggs, produce and other items, shoppers are also able to talk to the farmer to find out who grew and produced the food being sold.
It is important to be aware of what foods are in season when at the market, as some farmers' markets resell food from different areas.
Locavores should also research questions to ask at the local farmers’ market and what foods to be on the look-out for during certain seasons to pick the best foods.
Sources:
The Ledger. " Near the table: locavores look for food grown as close to home as possible," http://www.theledger.com/article/20090819/news/908195019?Title=Near-the-Table-Locavores-Look-for-Food-Grown-as-Close-to-Home-as-Possible; 19 Aug. 2009.
TLC. "How locavores work," http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/locavore.htm; accessed 01 Oct. 2009.
CNN. "Farmers markets feed the 100-mile diet," http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=locavore.htm&url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/08/31/buying.local.food/index.html; 04 Sept. 2007
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. "Reducing food miles," http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=locavore.htm&url=http://attra.ncat.org/farm_energy/food_miles.html; accessed 01 Oct. 2009.
