Dear Jessica,

Hi.  Now that it’s summer, I enjoy going to farmers’ markets, but always struggle as to whether it’s better to buy locally grown conventional produce or organically grown imported produce.  Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Jennifer

Dear Jennifer,

This is a great question for this time of year!  There are many ways to look at this depending on whether you are deciding from a health, an environmental or an economic perspective.  

From a health perspective, many believe that organic produce contains more nutrients than its conventional counterparts.  However, it has been found that produce begins to lose nutrients after it’s been picked, so the longer travel distance may diminish some of the extra nutrients.  Additionally, some imported produce is picked unripe so that it will travel better.  This can prevent the full nutrients and flavor from developing.  So in the end, the imported organic produce may not contain any more nutrients than its locally grown conventional counterpart.  The locally grown produce may also taste better.

Although the nutrients may not be much different between imported organic and locally grown conventional produce, conventional produce contains pesticides.  Many organizations recommend reducing exposure to pesticides since it may adversely affect people’s health.  However, not all conventional produce is the same; some fruits and vegetables tend to have higher levels than others.  The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org/) did a wonderful study in 2006 and found that pesticide exposure could be reduced by nearly 90 percent by avoiding or eating organic versions of the following fruits and vegetables:  peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes. 

When comparing imported organic to local conventional from an environmental perspective, many feel that the benefits of organic farming are offset by the excessive freight involved.  Often organic produce sold at grocery stores has been shipped from California or another country.  So although it’s better for the environment to not use pesticides, the amount of fossil fuel used may cancel out the benefit.

From an economic perspective, it is definitely beneficial to buy local.  It helps support local farmers and keeps the money within Michigan which is good for the local economy. 

Another way to examine this topic is to evaluate what is best for our health, environment and local economy in the long run and how to get there.  Most would agree that locally grown organicproduce is the optimal solution.  While researching this subject, I read an interesting article in which the authors felt that in the interim, it is better to purchase imported organic than local conventional produce.  When given the choice, they purchase imported organic because they want to encourage local farmers to make the transition to organic, more sustainable farming practices.  By our purchasing imported organic, the farmers can see the market need and opportunity and may be more motivated to make the change.

Fortunately, locally-grown organic produce is already often available.  This allows us to have the best of both worlds.  Many local health food stores, farmers markets and community-sponsored agriculture farms (CSA) carry a wide selection of locally-grown organic produce.

Jessica

In her free time, Jessica enjoys researching food and healthy eating.  If you have a food-related question that you would like answered in the journal, please email her at Jessica_L_Tucker@yahoo.com