“Be Loyal, Buy Local” It’s no secret that the demand for organic food has prompted a desire to become a more health-conscious society, but it seems that the trend has been taken a step further.
In fact, the New Oxford American Dictionary’s 2007 Word of the Year was “locavore,” which means someone who eats locally grown food. The Word of the Year is selected each year to reflect the ethos of the year and its lasting potential as a word of cultural significance.
“The word ‘locavore’ shows how food-lovers can enjoy what they eat while still appreciating the impact they have on the environment,” said Ben Zimmer, editor for American dictionaries at Oxford University Press in a release. “It’s significant in that it brings together eating and ecology in a new way.”
“There’s a readiness in the culture that is happening across the nation whether it’s the health-care system being broken or the obesity problem, our food system is not in good shape; we are not in good shape,” Kimmel, director of the Local Living Economy Project in Colorado said. “People are beginning to ask questions … There’s a deeper hunger — pun intended — for the community.
Still, being a “locavore” is quite different than, say, being a vegetarian. While it’s doable to avoid meat 100 percent of the time, it isn’t feasible to avoid imported goods completely, especially this time of year. There are many more limitations, especially availability.
“I think it’s important to be honest with yourself,” Kimmel said. “People in northern Colorado are not going to stop drinking coffee or eating bananas and mangoes.” Nor will they ever grow bananas, mangoes or coffee beans. The question becomes how to make sure those items are fairly traded and work towards keeping the money in the local economy.
Even if eating locally is a growing trend, it is by no means the easiest or what the majority of people do. The hope is that the trend will continue to spread and more people will try to eat locally whenever possible to support their local farmers.
Information gained from an article written by Erin Frustaci at http://www.greeleytrib.com
