Is Local Food a Better Way to Eat - Research Paper Example

Even the internet, the most modern and improved vehicle of searching has been emphasized as a means to look for fresh locally grown foods.

"Families Encouraged to Eat Well, Eat Local, Eat Together." Human Ecology 38.1 (2010): 21. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 May 2011

The article “Families Encouraged to Eat Well, Eat Local, Eat Together” cites Professor Christine Olson as a proponent of a home-cooked meal with local ingredients that will eventually help the local economy as well. He has joined hands with Cornell Cooperative Extension to develop a unique nutrition program that has the sole motto of promoting locally grown food materials. The program not only considers what one is eating but also takes into account its origin and the social setting of its consumption. According to Olson if this doctrine is followed then it will result in higher consumption of healthier foods like green vegetables and fruits together with milk and milk-related products and a lesser amount of soft drinks and other junk foods.

“What is Local?” Sustainable table January 2009. Web. May 4, 2011, < http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/eatlocal/>

In “What is local” emphasis has been laid on defining what exactly is local food? A combination of seasonal eating, sustainable shopping, eating well, and a sustainable kitchen have been vouched for to pave the way for local food in our daily diet. A distinction has been made between local and sustainable food as well. It has been argued been local does not mean the production process for the same is also sustainable. It has been argued that if a local population sustains on local food products then it will lead to a substantial cut in logistics that might also reduce the combustion of fossil fuel and thereby less emission of greenhouse gas. The article claims food production at an industrial level directly weakens our environment and can never be considered environment-friendly. At the end, the article also provides some interesting statistics that might be worthy of consideration. 

Patterson, Paul M. "State-Grown Promotion Programs: Fresher, Better?." Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm & Resource Issues 21.1 (2006): 41-46. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 May 2011.

Paul M. Patterson, in his “State-Grown Promotion Programs: Fresher, Better?” highlights the present trend among people towards; local foods as freshly grown better alternatives to packaged food. Patterson cites historical figures to illustrate the huge amount of funds that have been allocated towards state branding as a step to encourage localized foods. Patterson leads an economic argument against such state branding as a successful ad economically viable step. Patterson’s main argument is against the non-differentiating nature of the agricultural produce from different states that make branding useless. According to him a higher level of profit is embedded in larger consumption of food materials as a whole; not in the promotion of a particular localized brand. When better products make their voyage abroad as they are better suited for export there is no reason that state branding is encouraged among products with similar attributes.

Patterson, Paul M. "State-Grown Promotion Programs: Fresher, Better?." Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm & Resource Issues 21.1 (2006): 41-46. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 May 2011.