THE MYTH

Locally grown food isn't really better for my health.          

THE REALITY

Local produce is grown within proximity to where it is being sold; therefore your produce travels a shorter distance than imported produce. Local produce is not exposed to the kind of transportation pollution that imported produce comes into contact with. Where do the fruits and vegetables come from at the grocery store? Where have they been before you take them home? The answers to these questions are the difference between knowing whether or not it is beneficial to your health.

Did you know that imported produce is often sprayed with a film of vegetables oils and various waxes? In order for produce to withstand the transportation process and in order to keep their color once they reach your grocer, steps are taken in distribution plants to keep produce from spoiling. Imported fruit can spend up to a week in transit before it reaches you. When you buy local produce, you are getting produce that has been picked that morning. It has not been handled nor did not spend days in a factory, a box or in a truck.

"Every time you buy imported goods, you are also indirectly supporting the process by which those products were brought to the store" (Eco Evaluator).

YOU HAVE THE FINAL WORD

Think about where your produce has been the next time you visit a grocery store. Where do you want your fresh food coming from? What benefits your health begins with the food choices you make. Use this Internet Resource Guide to visit the Top 5 websites to help you further discover the good local food can do for you.