Before organic food began lining supermarket shelves, I bought oranges without questioning their origins. But as the green fever became too prevalent to ignore, I began to question the innocence of my produce: Who grew it? How was it grown? How was it supposed to taste?
Apparently, the average apple is grown with pesticides and monocultures, and has most likely been genetically modified. Your organic apple usually skips the chemical bath, but isn’t guaranteed to come from a tree near you ‘mdash; which is why students should also make sure to buy local. If students want to make sure they’re buying local they should purchase food from no further than 100 miles away. The average fresh food item travels 1,500 miles to get to your dinner table, according to Rich Pirog, associate director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
Despite the time and fuel involved in long-distance transport, we keep buying food from all over the world because industrial agriculture has made it so cheap.
Eating local allows us to re-engage with the natural systems of food and enrich the environment, rather than harm it. Many local farmers take into account the seasons for growing certain crops and enrich biodiversity by growing a variety of produce. While the fruits and vegetables (even the organic ones) sold at supermarkets are picked weeks or months in advance and are chosen for how well they’ll ship, local produce is usually picked right after it’s ripened. But the number one reason you should eat local is because it’s easy.
If you want to buy locally grown groceries, the Food Co-op in the Student Center has provided fresh produce from local sources since it was established in 1978. About 90 percent of their produce is from Ocean Beach People’s Co-op and UCSD’s Farmers Market. There are also many local food vendors at UCSD’s Farmers Market, held near the Student Services Complex every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
You can eliminate the middleman by joining Community Supported Agriculture, a group that connects farmers with buyers. The inconvenience excuse doesn’t cut it anymore ‘mdash; they deliver a box of produce to you.
At UCSD, the Garden of Eden Organic Farm delivers to the Great Hall every Thursday. The A.S. Local Affairs office is working to put out a directory that lists local food vendors ranging from farmers markets to restaurants.
And if you’re really gung-ho about the local growing movement, you can join the on-campus efforts for an urban farm. The Sustainable Food Project, a student organization created last year, recently earned approval to start an urban farm in Pepper Canyon, which will underscore the need to eat locally and organically and provide practical knowledge on how to grow food in urban and suburban environments.
Food is such an essential part of our everyday lives that taking a moment to taste something locally grown should be a priority for everyone.