Locavore is a relatively new term. It refers to a person who eats food that is locally grown and produced, and is only transported a short distance. This movement supports our local growers and food producers. If you are buying locally or within your state, your food will have a smaller carbon footprint. This in turn will help to protect our environment. You will find that more and more restaurants are now adopting this approach within their menus, providing the regional information of their ingredients. It’s good business for the customer, the restaurant and the farmers.
A study recently found that the average shopping basket contained items had traveled over 70,000 kilometers to reach Melbourne. This figure is staggering as so many of these items are available locally and are of excellent quality. Convenience has been at the heart of this issue with major supermarkets selling items that are relatively cheap to produce and import. If you start looking for the local producers in your area, you will be amazed by what you find. In Victoria alone the local cheese, wine, olive and Wagyu beef industries are phenomenal.
Locavore has become so poplar that it is now being studied at Universities under the course title of Social Innovation. Students are only able to eat food produced and grown in a radius of 160km (100 miles) for one month. Their experiences changed what they ate and the way in which approached food. It has also helped develop many new dishes. The course has been a great success.
Finding local produce is easier than you may think. Farmers markets are held in Melbourne suburbs weekly and provide a wide range of locally grown and produced food. While it may not always be practical for busy people to travel to the markets regularly, there are other options available to access fresh food. As demand increases, many stores are now providing home delivery which has been a booming success. There are many online delivery services for fresh, local produce saving you time and in some cases money. You can order a mixed box or choose the individual items that you would like to have included. The great thing about this is you will have access to changing seasonal produce.
With the growing interest in locally produced organic food, a change is occurring in the way we source our food and what we choose to buy. Some supermarkets are becoming aware of this and are looking to provide organic and locally produced items. Help to support your community by buying from local producers and farmers.