If you’re like most people, you don’t think much about where your food comes from.
You buy it and eat it. Food is food, right? It doesn’t matter where it comes from.
Not exactly. To an increasing number of people, it matters a great deal. Take the Greater Kansas City Healthy Food Policy Coalition. The coalition is made up of individuals and organizations that have interests in a variety of issues relating to America’s food system. Their common goal: Get better food to the people of Kansas City.
One of the best ways to do that is to encourage Kansas Citians to buy and eat more locally grown and raised foods. To that end, the coalition has issued an “Eat-Local-for-the-Holidays” challenge through December.
The coalition’s Web site — www.eatlocalkc.net — explains the idea.
“We are asking that you make a pledge to add just one local food to your holiday meal. Maybe it’s a squash that you purchase from the farmers market. Maybe you’ll use Missouri pecans for your pecan pie. Or maybe you’ll buy your milk from a local cooperative. Whatever you do, it will make a difference.”
What difference will it make if we eat more local foods? Where can we find local foods? And why should we care? We put those questions and more to a variety of supporters of the Eat-Local-for-the-Holidays challenge.
Karen SiebertSpokeswoman, Greater Kansas City Healthy Food Policy Coalition
What sort of response have you had so far to this challenge?
We launched it after Halloween. But we do have more than 50 now signed up. Word of mouth is very important.
Your Web site says the Eat Local Challenge is modeled after a similar campaign in Seattle. Is the movement a national trend?
I do think it’s a national trend. People are getting more and more interested in where their food comes from and how it’s been processed.
What can you cite to support that?
In the Aug. 31 issue of Time magazine the cover story was entitled “The Real Cost of Cheap Food.” For many years, people have been concerned about the cost of their food, not realizing the sacrifices they were making in quality, taste and nutritional value.
Anything else?
Just a few weeks ago, the USDA announced a campaign called “Know Your Farmer. Know Your Food.” At the launch of that, they announced they were going to have a farmers market outside of the White House. Also, Michelle Obama planted a garden at the White House. Certainly, if you go to any farmers markets in Kansas City you will see thousands of people there. And there are the local CSA (or community supported agriculture) models.
Could you explain CSAs and how they work?
At Hen House markets, they have a CSA program. Every week (during the growing season) you get a bag of locally grown or raised products — eggs, meat, fruits, vegetables, milk, any kind of item like that.
That’s important to local farmers because it ensures them a market, because then they know, for example, that they’ve got 50 families that are going to expect a bag of locally grown or raised products from them every week. It ensures them a regular revenue stream. That’s very important.
Not to be mean, but why should we care about whether they have a market?
The food choices that we make affect the viability or the strength of our local food system. If we are purchasing all of our food that is processed or raised elsewhere, we will very soon lose that capability to have any of those locally produced items.
Why will it be more nutritious?
The longer on the tree, the more nutrients they are going to have.
What do you want people to learn most?
We would hope that people can learn that it’s pretty easy to eat local. Now there are more grocery stores locally that are making local foods available. There are also many farmers markets and restaurants that feature local foods.
How do I know if a food I want to buy is local or not?
Most grocery stores now have a local food section, or an organic food section. Milk and eggs are two easy things to find in most grocery stores. You just have to look at the labels. For others, ask the grocery store manager.
Gretchen KunkelPresident of KC Healthy Kids, a charitable foundation committed to reducing childhood obesity and promoting fit and healthy kids
What’s important about the eat local challenge?
That there is an opportunity for people to make a commitment to buy local foods.
Why do you think most people haven’t?
I just think people haven’t thought about it, and once they hear about it they seem to be receptive to the idea. This is just an opportunity to raise awareness that you do have choices when you buy your foods.
What’s the biggest impediment to people eating more locally produced foods?
Availability.
Why aren’t they more available?
I don’t think we have an appropriate distribution system for getting those foods into people’s hands. And I don’t think people are aware where you can purchase those local foods.
How can people find out where to purchase locally produced foods?
Go to the www.eatlocalkc.net Web site. That will tell you the locations of local farmers markets, grocery stores and restaurants that feature local food, what’s fresh now and how you can get locally produced foods.
Diana EndicottFarm-to-market coordinator for Good Natured Family Farms, an alliance of 150 family farms within 200 miles of Kansas City
How many stores is food from your Good Natured Family Farms co-op in now?
We started with one store in 1996 — the Hen House at 83rd and Mission. Thirteen years later, we’re now in 30 stores.
What do you hang your marketing hat on?
We hope people know that every time they buy Good Natured Family Farms products they can be assured that it’s coming from a local small family farm, it’s high quality, made with integrity and that the animals are all free-range and raised without any antibiotics or hormones. What we are trying to sell is a high quality local food that is raised in an environmentally friendly sort of way.
But can people really make a big difference if they just buy a little local food?
Let’s say you have 400,000 customers in the Kansas City metro area who shop at Hen House and Price Chopper stores. And let’s say that each one of those customers spent just $10 a week on local foods. That’s $4 million a week that’s being returned to your local economy.
Then if you take that times 52 weeks in a year, well, you can see how effective that could be. We can be less than 2 percent of the market and still provide a choice, and have an important impact on the community.
Leroy ShattoOwner of Shatto Milk Co.
Why is it important for consumers to support local foods?
First and foremost, quality. Most foods come from miles away. By supporting local foods, you’re getting milk the same day it came from the cow.
Another is the relationship with the farmer. Whenever you buy a product from out of this region, you have no connection to where your food came from. Our farm is open to customers 365 days a year, and we have tours so people can see how our product is produced.
And by supporting local, you are truly supporting the local economy. The vast majority of money stays in this area and goes to supporting new jobs and purchasing goods and services from other local vendors.
Do a lot of customers come to your farm?
We host about 50,000 people a year. If anybody wants to come out, there’s a map on our Web site at www.shattomilk.com.
Do you make anything else besides milk?
We just started making aged cheeses. And then for the holidays, we have all the butter, the cream, and even a pumpkin-spice eggnog.
Terry LandesSpokesman for Prairieland Dairy in Firth, Neb.
Why do you think customers should buy your dairy products?
The trend is for people to feel good about their food. And they know when they buy Good Natured Family Farms products you know exactly where that product comes from. You know how the cows have been treated, you know what the cows are fed.
But what if the only thing shoppers really care about is price?
We need to be able to provide products to people that they can afford. We try to stay within 25 to 50 cents per unit of the mass producers.
Why would anyone pay anything more?
The good thing about seeing Good Natured Family Farms on the label is you know it came right from a farm. You really can think of local food as having fewer moving parts. Less things to break down.
And it really means a lot to the farmers. Farmers are the most appreciative people of consumers purchasing their products.
To reach James A. Fussell, call 816-234-4460 or send e-mail to jfussell (@) kcstar.com.
