Organic vs locally-grown: Part II

In part 1 of my organic vs. locally grown series, I looked at the pros and cons of organic eating. 

In today’s part 2 of the series, I will be examining the differences and controversies of eating locally & seasonally. 

Living in the 21st century, many of us are used to convenience—especially when it comes to survival products such as food—and some may feel that eating locally & seasonally may create restrictive diets. However, once you begin to make small changes to your mindset and daily habits, eating locally & seasonally may be seen as an opportunity to discover new foods. Plus eating seasonal produce is so much tastier, healthier, and environmentally friendly! 

Is ‘seasonal’ the new ‘organic’?

Locally-grown may not be as different from organic as you think. The current “local food” movement is similar to the original organic movement of the 90s, before its popularity exploded and “big organic'' emerged as a profit-driven corporate movement. In fact, early organic farmers focused on a more holistic relationship with agriculture—rather than the narrow definition of ‘crops grown without chemicals’ we’d use today— and many of their methods, such as permaculture and biodynamic farming, are now found in local food production movements (1).

Although it may not be true that all local food is grown organically as it is not required for local produce to meet organic standards and regulations, many small-scale farmers have similar priorities and environmental goals to those of organic farmers which is to make agricultural farming more sustainable. 

Why should we eat seasonal grown fruits & vegetables?

Firstly, seasonally grown crops are high in nutrition, antioxidants, and phytonutrients (chemical compounds found in plants) in comparison to crops that need to be transported long distances (2). Once a produce is picked, the nutrients it contains such as “Vitamins A, B, C, and E as well as Calcium, Fiber, and Potassium” start to deteriorate (3).

During transportation, produce is also exposed to “different temperatures and artificial lighting” which can have a negative impact on its nutritional value. Ideally we would all eat fresh produce that had been picked as recently as possible, traveled the minimum distance to the shop, and hadn’t been exposed to refrigeration or artificial conditions.

Additionally, eating seasonally also means that produce is picked at its optimum ripeness in comparison with produce that travels long-distance which are often picked early, so it ripens in transit in order to prevent it being spoiled at its point of sale. 

Secondly, seasonal produce is normally cheaper than produce transported long distances. As farmers reduce costs on transportation and storage, prices automatically drop as well (4). If the low prices still don’t convince you to eat seasonal, think about the fact that you are contributing to the community and helping maintain local jobs as your money is likely to be supporting small businesses rather than multinationals. 

Thirdly, seasonal produce is more environmentally friendly compared with conventional produce. Consuming seasonal produce reduces demand for out of season produce, therefore leading to more support for local farming and the purchase of local produce. As more people shop seasonally and locally, greenhouse gasses created from transportation, refrigeration, hot houses and irradiation of produce naturally decrease resulting in a cleaner environment. 

Additionally, buying local hugely reduces the environmental impact of your food miles- studies have shown that “flying in food typically creates around 10 times more carbon emissions than road transport and around 50 times more than shipping” (5) 

All in all, buying and consuming seasonal produce can not only benefit your health but also the earth around us. If there is one thing to take away from this blog post, it is that eating organic may not be the most sustainable and healthy choice when compared to local and seasonal crops as organic food often travels far distances to get to your conventional supermarkets.  

Here is a seasonal produce cheat sheet that I made using Canva. Feel free to download it or take a screenshot as a guide for when you go grocery shopping…

Sources

(1) https://www.food.ee/blog/is-it-better-to-buy-local-or-organic/

(2)(4) https://www.ndtv.com/health/nutritionist-shares-top-5-health-benefits-of-eating-seasonal-food-2374597

(3) https://www.hhfb.org/news/the-importance-of-fresh-local-produce/

(5) https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/facts-about-food-miles