Locavore

WIth how many trends there are with trying to eat healthier and more organic, there is no wonder why many people are jumping on the bandwagon with the locavore group.Although many people dream of a perfect world where they can get locally grown or produced products with a snap of their fingers, there is an issue that needs to be addressed. It seems that in order to achieve the goal of most locavores, they need to consider what constitutes local. Local should be associated with farmers markets and organic or all natural but, for many this is not the case.

In many communities there are supermarkets and stores that sell food or grocery products, but should this be considered local? This question seems increasingly more a matter of opinion. According
to source A, locally grown produce is much fresher than supermarket produce that has been frozen for a certain amount of time. Even though this point seems to be a very valid point, it can also be stated that freezing foods locks nutrients in, until the produce can be consumed at a later time. Companies such as Birds Eye use this method everyday in order to ensure that their customers receive the most nutrients possible. While both views have equal points, it does bring up questions on how good food from the supermarket can be for you versus food grown locally such as in a farmers market.

Society often associates local with words like “healthy” or “organic” but, if a person shops at their local megamart, can that food be just as healthy?
According to source E, people who shop at farmers markets truly care about where their food comes from and what they eat. With how many people there are that don't shop at these types of venues, does this mean that they do not care about their food? Of course not, for many people they do care but not everyone may have the accessibility to a local market or shop. Even though some would argue that you can’t get healthy food from a supermarket, “a person making smart choices from the global megamarket can easily meet all the bodies needs”(Source B). If a person shopping at lets say Target is aware of smart options while shopping he or she can eat healthy while perhaps saving money at the same time. Often times farmers markets can charge extreme prices for their products, this discourages many people from shopping there because economically they can afford them. I know that my family can’t often afford to go to farmer's markets or eat locally because of the prices. My mom however lives a very healthy lifestyle and, makes sure we eat as healthy as possible while maintaining her budget. Alternatives to these pricy foods could be people can just be more health conscious while shopping for everyday needs. It seems that when we stop associating local as the best source of healthy food, we can realize that everyone is capable of getting their daily nutrients at any type of store not just the local farmers
markets.

Furthermore, other than just realizing that any store can give people healthy food options, it is also more evident that the reason people can’t shop at local markets is their location. Source A describes how eating local generates more money into the economy when it's spent at a local venue. However, many people in specifically New York live in highly dense urban areas. Hundreds or even thousands of miles can separate the people from authentic local locations(Source F). What is even more concerning is that someone could go into the local burger joint, like Tommy’s milk shop in chaska, and cause the same effect. This is a local vender in the area and to some could be their definition of local. The cartoon in source G shows this same effects as the penguin tries only eating food within a hundred mile radius. The downfall to his new way of living is that the supermarket is only a half mile away and he can get whatever he wants. While is does make sense that local should be stores or markets close to a community, what one constitutes as local needs to be shifted.

The locavore movement is becoming more of a popular trend. If this movement is to become successful, then defining what local truly is will make this dream become a reality. Perhaps people who are able to change their opinions on what constitutes local today, then the movement mae be able to find a compromised balance in the future.