Daily Produce

1. I buy from a farm market so the produce must be locally grown?

2. I heard local produce growers do not utilize good growing practices when it comes to food safety. Is that correct?

3. Is the price always less when you buy local produce?

4. I eat out a lot, my kids eat school made lunches and my husband eats in the hospital cafeteria where he works. Is there any way we can buy local produce?

5. I only have time to shop at my local grocery store but I want to buy locally grown produce too, how can I do it?

6. I buy local produce from someone that is not on your listing, why not?

7. What is the big deal about buying locally grown produce, why should I buy it?

8. Is “organic produce” the same as local produce?

1. I buy from a farm market so the produce must be locally grown?

Many owners of farm markets pick up additional produce items that are not grown in the area to supplement their offering to the public. There is nothing wrong with this practice but one should know not every item bought at a farm market is necessarily grown locally.

2. I heard that local produce growers do not utilize good growing practices when it comes to food safety, is that correct?

Food Safety is one of the biggest issues in the produce industry today. All growers, local or not, have to be committed to using good growing practices with regards to food safety. Right now the requirements are changing rapidly and small growers are having a hard time keeping up with all the changes. Most suppliers of produce are reassessing their policies on food safety to make sure they align with governmental regulations. If food safety is a concern make sure to ask any grower what they do with regards to keeping their produce safe and healthy to eat. Food safety will continue to be a topic of concern for many years to come.

3. Is the price always less when you buy local produce?

It depends on where you buy it from. In theory it should be less as it should cost less money to transport product from 100 miles away instead of 3,000 miles. Along with savings of food miles, the consumer should also realize potential benefits from there being less middle men in the transaction that can increase the cost of products. The bottom line of pricing to the consumer boils down to supply and demand and the philosophies of the place where you buy your products.

4. I eat out a lot, my kids eat school made lunches and my husband eats in the hospital cafeteria where he works. Is there any way we can buy local produce?

Yes, many food service companies, the companies that service restaurants and institutions, want to be good neighbors as well. Many colleges in the country have required their food service vendors to provide locally grown produce. Many chefs like buying directly from the growers. They create entire menus around locally grown produce. They appreciate the fresh taste it offers and the sense of community it gives them from buying locally. I suggest asking any provider or supplier of produce if they use locally grown products. If they don’t they will soon.

5. I only have time to shop at my local grocery store but I want to buy locally grown produce too, how can I do it?

Most retail grocery stores are well aware of the strong movement to buy local produce. They support it now they will continue this practice, most likely increasing the products available to the consumer. In many stores the signage will indicate where the produce is grown. There are laws that stipulate that growers/packers of produce must show the place of origin of the produce. In addition, most retail stores run local produce ads and proudly show the growers name of the products they offer.

6. I buy local produce from someone that is not on your listing, why not?

There are so many suppliers and small farmers, that it would be impossible to know all of them. That being said please contact us and tell us so that we can reach out to your local growers to see if they want to be listed and tell your neighbors where they can buy their produce.

7. What is the big deal about buying locally grown produce, why should I buy it?

Let me give you a few reasons some of which I mentioned other places on the site already.

• Cost-locally grown produce generally cost less as there are less food miles and less people financially touching the product before it gets to you.
• Being a good neighbor-when you buy locally you are supporting your neighbors. It brings or keeps more dollars in your neighborhood and can even create additional jobs. More jobs draw more people, more people buying more goods and services increase the value of living in your community.
• Being Green-I don’t want to get technical and actually I can’t as I am not a scientist, but buying locally reduces the use of many of our already scarce natural resources and causes less pollutants, thus we leave the environment a better place for our children.
• Nutritional Value-There is a great potential that locally grown produce has more nutritional value as it can get on your plate much quicker than produce that travels across the country. As soon as produce is harvested the nutritional time clock beings ticking.
• Longer Shelf life-There is potential that local produce has a longer shelf life in your kitchen. Not only does the nutritional value of the produce decrease the longer it is out of the ground, so does the time in which you can keep it before it is unusable.

8. Is “organic produce” the same as local produce?

No, organic produce are grown with certain standards. Although the definition of truly certified organic produce seems to be a bit of a moving target it is generally understood that non-organic pesticides, insecticides and herbicides will not be used in the growing processes. Locally grown produce is generally defined as produce that is grown within a close distance to one’s home. The exact distance varies but we consider local to be within your county or the ones directly next to you. That being said, local produce can be organic produce if it meets the certified standards.