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Now that organic has transitioned from counter culture to nearly ordinary, we have a replacement counter culture gastro-movement stretching our food consciousness… “local”.

First, a disclaimer… I live in the San Francisco Bay Area which is (a) very food centric; (b) within 500 miles of a heck of a lot of agriculture, including quite a bit of organic.
To say I’m spoiled with choice is an understatement.

Back to local… the definition of local varies a bit depending on what food religion you follow. Some worship within 100 miles, some 200 miles, some 250 miles.
Let’s accept - less than a full passenger car gas tank.

What’s the big deal?
Here are the main issues:

1. environmental. No pesticides make organic produce less environmentally damaging. Put it on a plane and fly it half way round the globe and the environmental impact increases.
Local scores “carbon credits”

2. freshness. If your buying local produce it is likely to be fresher, perhaps more nutrient dense.

3. economy. Support your local economy.

There was a fun article recently in Time - [1] Eating Better Than Organic. The author lives in New York State and wrote from that perspective. Fun - and interesting - read.

Another great book is [2] What To Eat by Marion Nestle. She’s a Professor of Nutrition at New York University. Excellent book. She walks you through a grocery store explaining things in a balanced, realistic way.