Buy your festive feast from local farmers13 December 2000
Friends of the Earth is urging shoppers to give their local economy a Christmas bonus by buying their festive feast from local farmers. There are four good reasons for buying local food - not just for Christmas but as a new way of shopping throughout the year. It's good for the farmer, good for the consumer, good for the economy and good for the environment.
Buying local produce is good for farmers who are struggling to compete with cheap imports. Buying direct, at a farmers' market, is even better as it allows the farmer to get a better price. Farmers' markets have proved to be a lifeline for some farmers fed up with the exacting demands of supermarkets.
Farmers' markets are a good place to find pesticide-free organic food. Pesticides found in Christmas veg include iprodione in brussels sprouts (iprodione is suspected of interfering with the hormone system), organophosphates in carrots (organophosphates effect the nervous system) and aldicarb in potatoes (aldicarb is highly toxic and works as a nerve poison). Shoppers can also find out direct from the farmer exactly how their Christmas turkey was raised.
The annual turnover from farmers' markets in the UK is 65 million. Buying locally means that more money stays in your local area.
Local food has travelled fewer miles so it is probably fresher. It is also better for the environment - less food miles means less pollution, and reduced packaging. Supermarket veg may well have travelled many miles. For example some sprouts are transported from Kent to Scotland just to be processed.
There is a huge selection of locally produced foods around the country ranging from local turkey at Bath and Marlborough farmers' markets to locally grown organic brussels sprouts, potatoes carrots and parsnips at Malton farmers' market in Yorkshire. All these foods had come from farms less than 25 miles away.
Food and drink on sale at farmers' markets has also included traditional regional cheeses, home-baked mince pies and locally made punch. Londoners can buy UK produce including organic turkey and seasonal vegetables at farmers' markets around the capital.
There are more farmers' markets taking place around the country between now and Christmas. Local food can also be found in greengrocers, street markets, butchers and from veggie boxes delivered straight to the customer's door.
Friends of the Earth Real Food Campaigner, Sandra Bell said: "Our message to people shopping for Christmas dinner is to keep it local - buy your food from your local farmers as much as possible. Not only will this support struggling farmers, it helps to cut pollution and packaging because food won't have travelled very far. Farmers' markets, vegetable boxes, and many local shops sell tasty and fresh food. And if you buy direct from the farmer you can find out exactly how your food has been produced so you can avoid factory-farmed turkeys and toxic pesticides on your carrots and sprouts. Buying local has many benefits - not just for Christmas but for the rest of the year too".
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