Eat local foods

What is local and sustainable food?

Local food is grown close to where it's being consumed, so it doesn't travel far distances to reach our plates. When food is transported over long distances - especially if by planes or trucks that burn fossil fuel energy - it contributes to global warming and pollution. Consider that the average food product travels 2,000 km before it reaches your home. Now multiply that by each food item you eat each day! That's a lot of fuel, which also means a lot of greenhouse gas emissions. Although local food isn't always available due to seasonality, it's all about doing your best. Every choice you make has an environmental impact and can help lower your carbon footprint.

Sustainable food is not always local, but is produced in a socially responsible manner, with lower impact on the environment. Some sustainable food practices even help protect and enhance wildlife habitats and biodiversity. Look for products like sustainable coffee beans. Although they may travel thousands of miles to reach your table in Canada, coffee is grown on perennial bushes that don't require plowing, which keeps soil carbon stored in the ground. They do not require refrigeration until they're roasted, which means they can travel in more efficient vessels like trains. Other environmental issues to consider when shopping for food include, waste, packaging and recycling.

Local sustainable food: When local sustainable choices are not available, consider purchasing either local or sustainable food to make greener shopping decisions.

How to do it

Read the signs closely in the produce section of your grocery store and opt for fruits and vegetables that are grown either in your home province, or in Canada. When you purchase packaged foods, choose those made in Canada over U.S. or imported foods. Look for recognized eco-labels and certification. Also, try foods made from small, local companies. Better still, visit a nearby farmers' market on weekends or sign up with a local community supported agriculture program to get produce direct from the grower. If you live in or are driving through a rural community, stop and buy food from roadside stands or at the end of a farmer's lane.

Why you're doing it

Because local and sustainable food has a lower environmental impact! These types of food both limit the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by food transportation, while ensuring that our natural resources are sustainable for generations to come. Plus, on top of the growing concerns over synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, we also need to consider pollution and the loss of wildlife. Let's all do our part to leave the planet a healthy place for future generations.

Not only should you consider the distance imported food travels before it reaches your plate, you should also remember the energy used to package, process, store and refrigerate the food to preserve it on its long journey.

You should also care about eating local and sustainable because:

• You'll help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from storage and transportation
• Local sustainable or organic food reduces the amount of chemical pesticides left on food, or that leak into our water supply
• You are helping to support more sustainable farming practices. The farmer gets less of your food dollar when there has been travel, duty and distribution companies involved. When farmers get little for their foods, it encourages them to either sell off their land, or start using environmentally unfriendly practices to increase their yields.
• You'll support habitat for wildlife

Tips to shop by

1. Buy local sustainable food when possible
2. Support fair trade
3. Look for labels
4. Choose products with less packaging