Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Chatham-Kent

The Chatham Daily News

Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Chatham-Kent

August 6, 2010
Special to QMI Agency

The Buy Local! Buy Fresh! initiative has really begun to catch on in Canada.

Numerous communities are now boasting their goods through maps, websites, billboards or other media. Consumers are becoming more aware of what their community has to offer and this is having a positive effect on our health, our economy, the environment, as well as the educational benefits of buying directly from producers.

Purchasing farm products locally has lasting economic value for the region, as well as giving consumers the inside scoop on where and how their food and other agriculture wares are produced.

Centuries ago people had to be self-sufficient in order to survive, but over time the world has become a smaller place. Travelling and trading with the other side of the earth has become a normal practice. There are pros and cons to most situations; importing-exporting is no exception.

Canadians enjoy consuming things such as bananas and oranges and certainly do not want to give up these luxuries. However, becoming dependent on other countries for our basic food production is most definitely not in our best interest. Canada has been known as a country that can feed itself … we do not want to lose that designation.

We are fortunate to have access to healthy, safe, reasonably priced food; lots of us have never known anything other than this comfortable way of life. However, there are others who have seen things differently — either in a different time, different country, or a less-fortunate situation.

Buying locally helps to protect our availability of healthy, safe, reasonably priced food and the Buy Local! Buy Fresh! initiative was developed to assist with this practice.

The Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Chatham-Kent map was developed to support both our local consumers and our local producers. The first map was released in 2007. Since then, a second edition was released in 2009 and the new website www.buylocalbuyfreshchathamkent.comwas launched in May 2009.

Free maps are available at the local libraries and municipal service centres, you can find them at any of the local sponsors, or go to our website and use the interactive map.

It is a great time of the year to visit one of our many farmers’ markets, farm gates or roadside stands that are full of fresh, local produce.

Anyone interested in more information about Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Chatham-Kent should contact the Kent Federation of Agriculture at 519- 674-1595 or kent@ofa.on.ca

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