Part III: Big Local?

by Leah Koenig

The upward arc in popularity of local foods seems to inversely mirror the growing skepticism towards organic food. One might even assert that in the eyes of many consumers who buy with their conscience on their sleeve, local is the new organic.

On a recent trip to a Whole Foods in New York City, I noticed that each checkout kiosk had a newly-installed screen which rotated photos of local farmers from whom Whole Foods purchased produce. The pictures were startlingly similar—white, middle aged, bearded men, some standing with their families, and all placed directly in front of their field with the farm location flashing underneath the picture. They were also mesmerizing—the woman ringing up my groceries had to snap me back to attention in order to get me to pay.

Leaving, I felt I had done something noble by purchasing New York State yellow plums instead of blueberries from Vancouver. Partly because I have come to value the concept of local eating, and partly, I realized later, because Whole Foods spends a lot of money to make customers feel good about their purchases.

Despite the register kiosks, I didn’t actually know my plum farmer. For some people, that hardly makes a difference, but I personally get a thrill out of cooking Farmer Ted’s (my Community-Supported Agriculture farmer) spinach or making an omelet with eggs from the chickens who live on his farm—and whom I have met on trips to the farm. I also enjoy eating things in season, when they are ideally at peak flavor and most deeply connected to the particular climate and landscape they were grown in. (Admittedly, eating seasonally and locally is a challenge during the winter months when a California orange seems far more enticing than yet another butternut squash.)

More importantly, unlike CSA or a farmers market, I had no guarantee that my purchase was making a difference in the life of one of the farmers I saw on the kiosk. I also had no real guarantee that he was using sustainable growing methods—because unlike a CSA or farmers market, I couldn’t ask him.

I don’t write this to start any further Whole Foods controversy (I actually quite like Whole Foods). I only intend to raise the question of what would it mean if local foods went the way of organic foods? Is it possible that, if they continue to rise in popularity and demand, local foods could be affected by same big business pitfalls that the organic movement is encountering?

It is certainly possible that the USDA could create a “Local Foods certification.” A national certification could turn the very intimate practice of local eating—which is currently typified by small-scale, farmer-to-consumer transactions at farmers markets and CSAs—into a government-regulated affair. It is also possible (though far less likely) that big food companies and restaurants like Dannon or McDonalds could start purchasing their milk, eggs, potatoes, or fruit etc. on a local scale, which would potentially lead to a redefinition of what was considered “local,” “seasonal food” or “small-scale farm.”

So what about that organic peach from Mexico and the low-spray peach grown in upstate New York? The answer is unfortunately not a simple multiple choice (hey, maybe you don’t even like peaches). The real question at the end of the checkout line is: what do you want to be buying? What do you want to be eating and serving your familly?

Ultimately, when it comes to food decisions, each consumer votes with his or her pocket book. And when one considers how often most Americans eat, it is clear that consumers have the opportunity to vote their food consciences early and often.

Leah Koenig blogs at goodshmeats.blogspot.com.