Eat Local Campaigns

eOrganic authors:

Garry Stephenson, Oregon State University

Debra Sohm-Lawson

You want to find healthy, local, organic food, but how? There are many web-based tools to help you locate the food you want, close to where you live.

  • Buy Fresh Buy Local [Online]. FoodRoutes Network Available at: http://www.foodroutes.org/buy-fresh-buy-local.jsp (verified 5 Mar 2010).
    "Buy Fresh Buy Local chapters connect consumers in communities throughout the country to the freshest, most delicious locally grown and produced foods available. Through outreach events, local food guides, and educational materials, Buy Fresh, Buy Local makes it easy for consumers to find and connect with local food from farmers they can know and trust. The program is organized by FoodRoutes Network and is a non-profit organization based in Pennsylvania that provides communications tools, organizing support, and marketing resources to grassroots chapters throughout the US that are working to rebuild local food systems and promote sustainable agriculture." (text from their website)
  • Local harvest: Real food, real farmers, real community [Online]. Local Harvest, Inc. Santa Cruz, CA. Available at: http://www.localharvest.org/ (verified 5 Mar 2010).
    "We maintain a definitive and reliable "living" public nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources. Our search engine helps people find products from family farms, local sources of sustainably grown food, and encourages them to establish direct contact with small farms in their local area. Our online store helps small farms develop markets for some of their products beyond their local area." (text from their website)
  • The Eat Well Guide: Find good food, local, sustainable, organic [Online]. Grace. New York, NY. Available at: http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home (verified 5 Mar 2010).
    "Eat Well Guide® is a free online directory of thousands of family farms, restaurants, and other outlets for fresh, locally grown food. Originally a database of sustainably-raised meat and dairy producers, its listings have expanded to include farmers' markets, CSA programs, partner organizations, water-conscious ratings and vegetarian eateries. Visitors can search by location, keyword or category to find good food, download customized guides, or plan a trip with the innovative mapping tool Eat Well Everywhere." (text from their website)
  • A tale of two tomatoes: Local Lucy and traveling Tom [Online]. Section Z. Ecotrust. Portland, OR. Available at: http://www.salmonnation.com/readlearn/#nogol (verified 5 Mar 2010).
    "The food industry is consolidating at an alarming rate. The top companies producing meats, grains, and other staples now enjoy virtual control over the markets for their products. Much of our nourishment depends on a handful of "giants". They're shipping foods an average of 1500 miles to reach your plate, a practice that strains anyone's notion of fresh.
    A quiet revolution is in the air, and we the eaters hold the power for change. Retailers are posting more information about where our food is raised. New ways of buying direct, like farmers' markets, are providing us with tastier and more diverse choices.
    Let's take a look at this shift by following a tale of two tomatoes: Traveling Tom and Local Lucy. We'll see the deep problems that the industrial system is causing. We'll also see how some family and organic farmers are raising healthier foods locally; a revolution that will benefit all of us." (text from their website)
  • Be a local hero, buy locally grown. CISA's local hero campaign [Online]. Community Involved In Sustaining Agriculture (CISA). Available at: http://buylocalfood.org/page.php?id=118 (verified 5 Mar 2010).
    The Be a Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown public awareness and marketing campaign was launched in 1999 and has become the country’s longest running and most comprehensive "buy local" program for farm products. This year more than 170 farms, 35 restaurants, 40 grocery stores, 9 landscape/garden centers, 6 specialty producers and 10 institutions joined together to raise awareness and sales of locally grown farm products." (text from their website) CISA serves the New England region.
  • Appalachian grown [Online]. Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. Asheville, NC. Available at: http://www.asapconnections.org/appalachiangrown.html (verified 5 Mar 2010).
    "Look for the Appalachian Grown logo when you shop or eat out and find food that is thousands of miles fresher. Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project's (ASAP) Appalachian Grown symbol is displayed with farm products grown or raised in Western North Carolina and the southern Appalachian mountains. When you see the Appalachian Grown logo, you know you’re buying fresher foods that support family farms, strengthen the local economy, preserve rural culture, and protect the natural beauty of the Appalachian mountains." (text from their website)

 

Published January 19, 2009

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.