Benefits of Local Produce

Whether it's freshly baked bread, prime cuts of the finest meat or a bottle of traditional ale, local producers offer a huge range of goods right on your doorstep.

So Why Buy Local Produce?
By buying locally sourced produce, everyone, not just farmers and landowners, can contribute to ensuring that a well-managed countryside benefits wildlife and the environment.

As well as trying to buy local produce, buying food when it is in season really adds to the benefits, both the freshness but more importantly the flavour! What's in season can change regularly, and to help you, have a look at our guide to seasonal produce.

So, why should I bother buying local produce?

There are a lot of good reasons to buy goods that have been produced locally including:

It supports your local economy

  • Small scale producers are often struggling to compete with large supermarket chains
  • Local produce can directly support local businesses, local employment and keep money in the local economy by cutting out the middleman, through direct selling, which in turn increases financial returns.
  • Personal contact with a local producer can give you a real understanding of how something is grown or processed
Reducing food miles
  • 'Food miles' means the distance food has travelled from where it is produced to where it is purchased, and onto where it is consumed.
  • Food distribution by road freight is the fastest growing transport sector here in the UK and is a major contributor to air pollution - it takes 68 calories of air fuel to transport one calorie of carrot into the UK!
  • 13% of the UK's total fuel consumption goes on packaging and transporting food
Environmental Benefits
  • Local food production ensures that local land is put to good use.
  • Local land is maintained to a high standard, which in turn increases environmental quality and attracts visitors to the countryside.
Reducing packaging
  • Vast quantities of packaging are used to protect produce when it is being transported around the country and even the world
  • Local produce generally has a minimal amount of packaging which cuts down on the use of valuable natural resources
Supporting traditional crafts
  • Woodland activities have helped shape the landscape of south east England for generations
  • Buying locally produced timber such as fence materials ensures you help maintain our landscape and don't destroy some one else's!
Social Importance
  • Buying locally encourages links between local land owners and the communities they are in
  • It increases social connections between urban and rural communities
Health Benefits
  • Local food comes with the re-assurance that local food is 'good-home produced' food that has not adversely harmed the environment
  • Local food gives an assurance of where the food comes from and how produced
  • Local food is fresh, nutritious food

15/11/2018