There are many different buzzwords in today’s food market. Whole grain, 100% whole wheat, Non-GMO, Organic, and the list goes on and on. Navigating through all of these hot topics can be a little overwhelming. One that seems to be fairly straight forward is locally grown. While this buzzword may seem to not need much explanation, you may not realize the magnitude behind it. Locally grown food has a substantial amount of benefits, both to your health and the local economy and community.
Purchasing locally grown food has major health benefits. Because the food, specifically produce, has a much shorter distance to travel, it is able to stay on the vine and ripen to its peak state. This ensures that the food not only tastes its best, but also allows the nutrients in each piece of produce to remain in tact. In addition to this, because the food is transported a shorter distance, the risk of contamination is much lower. Food products that are not grown or produced locally will be packaged, shipped on possibly several trucks, and then may sit in a warehouse. The amount of handling, as well as changes in location make the likelihood of contamination much greater. Georgetown Market is very fortunate to have 100% organic and locally sourced produce, which means you will be getting the freshest possible product.
Produce is not the only type of food that benefits from being locally sourced. Meat is another type of food that has significant benefits from being sourced locally. Georgetown Market’s meat is sourced from local farmers and is grass fed and pasture raised. This means that there are not large amounts of animals being kept in tight quarters for just the sake of producing meat. Because local farmers’ take such pride in their product being in their own community, it is typical that the farmer will have a direct relationship with the processing company. This allows the farmer to oversee the process, which would not be typical of a large processing facility. It also means that the animals will be moved a shorter distance to the processing facility, which has environmental benefits.
While the many health benefits that come from purchasing locally grown and sourced food and goods is vast, it goes much deeper than that. When you purchase these products, you are supporting your community economically and environmentally. Many of the profits made will be invested right back into businesses and services within your community. In addition to this, it promotes green space within your community and has many ecological benefits such as promoting clean water, fertile soil, and fights air pollution. Georgetown Market is lucky to be able to support many local merchants that not only supply food for the market, but also many homegoods such as soaps and hand baskets.
As you can see, the benefits of purchasing locally grown and sourced food and products has a tremendous benefit for the community. Not only are you supporting your own community members who take great pride in the work they do, you are also ensuring you are eating the freshest foods with high nutrient levels. Be sure to stop by Georgetown Market today to check out all we the local food and products we have to offer!
