Local & Lovin' It
The recession has focused more attention on buying local produce.
"It's based on customer demand that's very popular right now," said Mia Farber, outreach coordinator for the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, "People are more focused on smaller, more tangible differences they can make."
Buying local cannot only be a money saver for consumers, it can have a huge impact on the region's economy.
"To put it into perspective, if every household in Western Pennsylvania spends $10 a week on local food, $15 million stays in the regional economy each week," Farber said.
Food traveling across town instead of across the country is also fresher.
Local is defined in a variety of ways, said Jennifer Daurora, business manager of the McGinnis Sisters Special Food Stores in Pittsburgh, Monroeville and Adams Township. However, she sets tighter deadlines for the store's locally grown foods.
"We stick to something that will get to our store within a day, like Chambersburg peaches," Daurora said. "We try to focus as much as possible on foods from local counties like Butler, Allegheny, Washington, Westmoreland and sometimes we cross the state line into Ohio."
Jan McElhinny, whose husband is part-owner of McElhinny's Farm in Evans City, provided a similar explanation. The farm has dozens of wholesale clients, including McGinnis Sisters and some Giant Eagle and Shop 'n Save stores.
"We don't sell more to a store than what they can sell each day," said McElhinny. "We want them to sell fresh every day."
Most fruit and vegetable varieties sold in supermarkets are chosen primarily for their ability to tolerate industrial harvesting equipment and travel, not taste or freshness, according to FoodRoutes, a national nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable agriculture.During the summer, workers at McElhinny's Farm begin picking sweet corn around 5 a.m. daily so it can be delivered to retailers by 9 a.m., McElhinny said.The produce travels fewer miles and, in turn, reduces dependence on oil while cutting greenhouse gas emissions."But even if it's not about economic or environmental concerns, to the palate, fresh local food has a better taste," Farber said.Fruits and vegetables shipped from afar can spend as many as seven to 14 days traveling, according to FoodRoutes. The taste and nutrient content are both negatively affected by age.People are more health-conscious than ever and are becoming more aware of the nutritional value of the food they buy, Farber said."It's not necessarily about diet and weight loss, but it's about eating food that's high in nutrients," she said. "The longer food travels, the more nutrient depletion it has."Customer response to local produce is very positive at Friedman's Freshmarkets, said marketing manager Dean Weiland."They like to support the local farmer," he said. "When they see it in the store, I think they go to it before the stuff from California, if it's a like product."If there are concerns about food safety, buying local makes it easier to track down any problem, Daurora said.Butler Memorial Hospital's administrators have considered the benefits of local food and try to purchase goods from local suppliers. BMH is a member of PASA and the Buy Fresh Buy Local program, said Joe Landolina, the hospital's general manager of food and nutrition."A lot of things that we have on our menu every day, we buy from local suppliers," Landolina said.The hospital cafeteria recently offered its first "PA Preferred" menu with recipes based on local items, including vegetables from Harvest Valley Farms in Valencia and dairy products from Marburger's Dairy in Evans City.Landolina said working with local vendors has been overwhelmingly positive."Butler people are much more supportive of Butler businesses and farms and other vendors than where I'm from," said Landolina, who is from Allegheny County. "Butler has a greater sense of community than a lot of other counties in this area."
Despite the benefits of selling locally, distribution is a "huge issue" for small farmers, Farber said."Large companies have trucks and trucking systems that help them move their products around," Farber said, noting local farmers must compete and contend with obstacles like high gas prices.Advancements in the produce industry have pitted small farmers against growers worldwide, Weiland said."In the past couple of decades, produce from all over the world has become more readily available," Weiland said. "There are better ways to ship now than there have been in the past."Although local products are in transit for a shorter time, storage is still a challenge."These are things that don't have preservatives and chemicals in them, so they don't last as long," Farber said.Because of the climate, Pennsylvanians have less local food to choose from in winter. Farber said it is important for consumers to focus on preservation through canning and the storage of items like meats and cheese.Customers with less disposable income might watch their food spending more closely, which impacts farmers' sales, McElhinny said."If they have a choice, they might buy a can of corn rather than fresh," she said. "This area is not as hard hit as many areas, but we're still seeing some of that."Still, McElhinny said she thinks people rely more on convenience foods than in the past."Their eating habits have changed," McElhinny said. "We're trying to turn that around and get people to eat fresh, eat at home, eat healthy."All vendors must balance supply and demand, Daurora said, using the example of sweet corn purchased from McElhinny's Farm.The sweet corn is only in season from late June or early July until the first frost hits near the end of September or beginning of October."We get the corn in the stores the day it was picked and sometimes, we might run out of the product," she said. "We try to educate customers that when we have it, we have it, and more often than not, it sells out quickly."Fruitful harvestDespite the challenges, Daurora said buying local is worth the effort. McGinnis Sisters and its suppliers have friendly relationships, Daurora said, and she thinks this is typical in the area.Supporting local farms is a big motivator for regional companies, Daurora said."Everyone is happy if the region is growing and we're putting money back into the community via jobs and supporting farms," she said.Those interested in buying local can visit www.localharvest.org or www.agmap.psu.edu to find nearby sellers.Users can enter the type of vendor desired, such as a farmers market or restaurant, the item needed and their address to find local produce and other products.
