July 2007 — VOLUME 5 ISSUE 7
Buy local,
eat well—the new trend
Eating right is the topic on everybody’s lips these days.
It seems we’re all concerned about our bodies from the perspective of weight as well as fitness, which equals health. Being healthy ensures a better quality of life, we’re told—a life that could last a long time.
Part of the push toward healthy living is coming down to the food we eat—emphasized by books such as those embodying the 100-Mile diet principle and various crusades to save the planet. None are new ideas, but our modern conscientious age has propelled them to the forefront and forced us to think about what we’re eating and where it came from. Buying local has become the new aubergine—people are beginning to consider the distance food has travelled from the plantation to their plate, and according to Stephanie Wells of the Organic Trade Association in Canada, this is a step in the right direction for society.
“It’s healthy and good for society, it’s good for our communities and it’s good for family farms,” she says about the new wave of buying local, noting this is the first time since the Second World War people have considered eating more of what’s grown on their back doorstep and less exotic, and often mass-produced food from afar.
“We’ve gone for too many generations of not knowing where our food comes from,” Wells explains, saying people are asking more questions on all kinds of fronts pertaining to where their food comes from, how was it grown and where was it grown.
“I think there’s a desire to buy from farmers we know in communities we know, and I think that’s very healthy,” she adds, noting buying local and organic items is more environmentally friendly, and while these foods may not be free of pesticides in every case, still, she says, it’s better.
Isobel Vere, along with husband Bernard of Pentangle V Bison Ranch in Merritt, has been selling bison burgers and sausages for seven years at Farmers Markets. Their bison are raised as naturally as possible on their ranch, and Vere comments she’s noticed a rise in popularity and interest in both her products and the other produce available at the markets.
“We’ve seen an increase in people coming to buy from us,” Vere confirms. “People are buying local because it’s fresher and they’re concerned about what the animals are being fed, what’s gone into them or where they’ve been,” she says, noting they grass-feed their bison, whose diet also contains a mineral supplement and molasses, as bison have a sweet tooth.
Despite the fact that bison is not a ubiquitous item found on every menu, Vere says it’s becoming popular with the public because of the health benefits of eating it.
“It’s low in fat and cholesterol, and high in iron and protein,” says Vere, pointing out the Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends eating bison because of these healthful properties.
The shift towards buying local, believes Dieter Dudy, owner of Kamloops-based Thistle Farm, is a notion that’s still in the early stages, but one that’s spreading, taking with it a positive message of health.
“I think it’s still reaching people how important it is to buy local, but I think it’s coming,” he says about the move toward the new trend—an idea he backs because not only does it provide fresh produce to consumers, but they in turn are supporting the local economy.
The onus, Dudy believes, is also on farmers and vendors to keep the momentum going by supplying consumers and satisfing growing demands.
“We have a responsibility not only to provide the product, but to try and encourage more people to buy locally to give some consideration to their health and their future, for themselves and their families,” he says.
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