Food. Yumm. It brings us together, it sustains our bodies, and if we actually pay attention to it, there’s a lot we can learn about the world and ourselves from it. I’ve largely shied away from writing about food because of its vastness, but I think it’s time we talk local food.
Our food culture is something we need to be talking about, and lots of people are.
University alumnus and local-food-advocate Andrew Harmon describes food as “the most important issue facing our culture today.” He expanded, “It’s at the center of so many important topics: of our health care, of our energy, of our transportation issues, of our environment. It’s really integral to all of those things.”
The 2009 documentary film “Food, Inc.” by filmmaker Robert Kenner has done much to shed light on the problematic issues associated with the USA’s current food production system. It highlights everything from the dangers of foodborne illness, to the fact that one third of all children are obese, largely due to overconsumption of refined sugars and corn-based products, to the cruel practices used on the 10 billion factory farmed animals consumed in this country every year, to the environmental impacts that industrial food production has spurred. I must forewarn you, however, that you will not want to go to the grocery store for a while after seeing the movie.
The issues listed above, coupled with a desire to change the dynamic, are what have led many people to the “locavore” movement. That is, a commitment to eat only things grown, produced and distributed near where you live. How close or far is “near”? Many say about 100 miles should be the cutoff distance.
Harmon described his sentiments about eating local simply. “My decision to eat as local as possible is about supporting my local economy,” he said. “It’s about knowing where my food comes from and knowing it didn’t come very far. … I feel like in one simple action you really are taking care of so many things.”
When the average food product travels 1,500 miles before reaching your plate, just think of all the fossil fuels you’re saving by growing your own veggies, or buying local at your farmers market as opposed to the GMO tomatoes from Mexico at the conventional grocery store. Not only that, but buying local keeps your dollars in the community and supports local farmers who are struggling to not be shoved out by huge agro-businesses and their economies of scale.
Politics aside, food is a very personal thing. It is absolutely a huge factor in determining how we function and how we feel as people day to day. How did we think we’d feel by eating factory-farmed animals raised in their own excrement, shot up with hormones, and mechanically executed, along with processed corn products and a ton of refined sugars? Ready to take on the world? 
No way. Instead, we as a nation struggle with fatigue, sickness and disease, obesity and depression. I think of what happens if you put regular gasoline into a diesel engine; the engine runs poorly, really poorly, if at all.
Chad Kretschmann, distribution manager for Eugene Local Foods, an online shopping service that offers only local food, says you can absolutely taste the difference between local farm grown food and conventional, industrial food. He showed me a dozen eggs of varying shades of brown and a few token heirlooms the farm threw in for good measure. He described how the yolks were “bright orange,” a sign, he claimed, of “super happy chickens.”
Now, I’m not trying to go all “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” on you, but there are legitimate things to be concerned about with the commercial food industry, as well as legitimate, available solutions to those problems. Eating local is, in my opinion, a direct action that is mutually beneficial because you are not feeding the machine, and you are investing in your own health.
If you’ve been thinking about trying to eat locally for a while, you’re in the right place! Eugene has an incredible amount of local bounty to offer and various venues for getting your hands on it.
The Saturday Market on Eighth Avenue and Oak Street starts its season April 3; it’s a great resource and a lot of fun. Community-supported agriculture programs, or CSAs, are boxes of food that can be delivered right to you or a pick-up spot every week for a set rate and usually start up in either May or June and run through late summer. Local grocery stores such as the Kiva, Sundance Natural Foods and Capella Market specialize in stocking a solid amount of locally produced goods. 
Finally, you can grow your own food, too. If you live on campus or in an apartment, look for a community garden to join. I never had to buy salsa or salad stuff at all last summer, and considering those are two of my favorite meals (yes, I consider chips and salsa a meal), I think I probably saved a pretty penny there. 
Nobody’s perfect, nor can we be expected to eat entirely locally in a culture like ours, but being aware of the situation and making conscious choices when we have the opportunity to is something we are in control of. Therefore, I wish you a bountiful summer harvest and happy local food hunting! 
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