WE ARE WHAT WE EAT. Simple, yet profound, it means eating healthy foods leads to enjoying a healthy life. Though we are aware of this absolute truth, current lifestyles reflect convenience and rock-bottom prices at the expense of our health, environment and local farming heritage. As a society, we have globalized our diets at the cost of the extinction of numerous plant species and burdened our environment with fertilizers, pesticides and the impact of transporting food from all points of the globe.

As difficult as it is to know where our food comes from, it is virtually impossible to know how it is produced. According to FoodRoutes.org, “food travels on average 1,300 miles from farm to table and fruits and vegetables shipped from distant states and countries can spend as many as seven to 14 days in transit before arriving in the supermarket.”

Ripening agents, preservatives, growth hormones and antibiotics are used to increase the yields of the foods in our supermarket produce aisles, meats cases, dairy coolers and fast food restaurants. Meanwhile, our local farmers are having a difficult time keeping their farms profitable and out of the control of development.  Is there any way we can make sound nutritional decisions while supporting our local farming community and the environment we live in? The answer is yes, and by consciously selecting from available options, consumers can improve their diet while strengthening our local food-producing community.

 

Saving Local Farmland Means Saving Local Farmers 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. has lost 4.7 million farms since 1935. A report by the USDA’s National Commission on Small Farms states that “as farmers focused on producing undifferentiated raw commodities, food system profit and opportunities were shifted to the companies that process, package and market food. Consequently, from 1910 to 1990 the share of the agricultural economy received by farmers dropped from 21 to 5 percent.” The other 95 percent of food costs now goes to brokers, truckers, packers, processors, marketers and retailers. There is only one way to truly preserve farmland as farmland in perpetuity. That is to make farming profitable. The small farmer must be creative and diversify in unique ways if they are going to survive.

 

Farmers’ Markets, Farm Stores and U-Picks’

The long-standing prevalence of farm-ers’ markets in the area is nothing new to South Florida residents. Products sold are locally grown and produced and the vast majority of the produce is naturally/organically grown. And ready-to-eat foods are prepared from locally farmed ingredients whenever possible.

 

For a more complete list, visit localfood-southflorida.org where you will not only will find dozens of locations around town, but also find listings of Farm Stores; locations where a farm sells what it grew. For u-pick farm list-ings, visit localfoodsouthflorida.org/south-florida-upick-farms.html.

 

Choose Self Determination

Perhaps because natural food is such a simple concept it is easy to forget how important it is to our health. We are fortunate to live in a community that is strong enough to be bucking the trend of mass-produced food. We are also lucky to have knowledgeable experts and creative minds to help get healthy, natural foods to the marketplace.

If it is to be, it is up to us to support the efforts that keep us healthy, help our environment and preserve our heritage. As spring/summer arrives, we have a choice about the type of food sources we want to support. Vote With Your Dollars. Spend them with producers and merchants that value their customers’ health above the profits of industrialized farming and products that are created in a laboratory.

 

Mr. Reid Boyer is the publisher of Natural Awakenings Magazine in Lehigh Valley, Poconos and Warren County, NJ. This article was edited for the region by Linda Palmer, Miami/Key West publisher.