Buying Locally Sourced Food

Why Purchasing Locally Sourced Food is Important It is important to do the math before purchasing goods and services; knowing the price of an item is not the only thing to consider when spending food dollars. Just as crucial as the price of a product is the importance of purchasing locally sourced food. Buying locally sourced is important because it tastes better, locally grown food has a higher nutritional value, and purchasing locally sourced food has benefits to the local economy.

Buying food locally has many benefits. Locally sourced food tastes better because local farmers pick their crops when they are ripe. Local farmers know that picking fruits and vegetables at the peak of freshness and selling directly to their customers allows the customer to enjoy the best flavors. Harvard Medical School researchers have found

(Megan McCullough, 2014). Locally sourced food is more nutritious because food loses nutrients during transit time. Having only hours between the time that food is picked from the field and when the customer puts it on the table to eat guarantees the food does not lose nutritional value. Additionally, buying locally sourced food is beneficial to the local economy. When a local farmer takes, the money earned from selling crops and spends it in local businesses or reinvests in their own farm, it keeps more people employed. Direct sales to consumers is an alternative income source for small farms but can be a step to other income streams such as agritourism and sales through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). The University of California states that agritourism is a commercial