Local Food vs. Seasonal Food

Buy local food? Buy seasonal food? Which is the most sustainable option?

A comment on the thread of Creating a Sustainable Food Footprint: The Carbonostics Tool made a wonderfully valid point in whether to choose trucked-in produce or locally grown.

The managing director for Blue Horse Associates, Sara Pax, said, "Just a word of caution about too much emphasis on 'local'. In Carbonostics, we've actually found that in some cases, "local" doesn't always mean better for the environment. For example, it's actually better to ship in tomatoes from an area that grows them in natural full sun, than buy them from a local farmer who grows them in a greenhouse. While this may be confusing and contradictory to what you think you know about the environmental impact of food lifecycles, it's actually typical of the sort of game-changing insights we can discover when running a food product through a Carbonostics analysis."

Sara brings up a very serious and important point that is key to food and environmental sustainability. The energy costs of heating a commercial greenhouse can be enormous and also offset all the work one puts toward conscientious food acquisition.

The most sustainable method to acquire food is to think seasonally and locally. Foods grow at different times of the year, usually in season for about 6-8 weeks. Because a number of variables go into what's in season where, it's important to note what's in season where YOU are. Here is a guide for the United States from Field to Plate's Seasonal Lookup Guide.

But some things are somewhat standard. Tomatoes are in season in the Summer (typically June to September, depending on where you live). If you're buying a tomato in February, chances are it has either been grown in a greenhouse or shipped a long distance. It is the same case for strawberries (May-July), blueberries, raspberries or blackberries (July-September), cherries (May-July).

Some crops are stored, like apples, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions and garlic. These crops typically can store up for a year in refrigeration cells before shipped to supermarket storefronts.

This list is not exhaustive, but I use the idea that thin-skinned fruits are available seasonally when the weather is hot and moist. Root vegetables can be brought in from storage almost year-round. Talk with your farmer about his practices - is he using energy-powered storage or a root cellar? Any reputable farmer or supplier will gladly talk with you about their practices. When you're at the grocery next, just remember seasonal, local food is sustainable food.

Photo credit: Fast Company