Stop Food Waste
5 Reasons to Eat Local, Seasonal Food
Introducing more locally grown and seasonal foods into your diet has loads of benefits for you, your community and our environment. Here’s some of the reasons we think you should keep it local and eat seasonal.
- It will reduce your environmental impact
Food that has travelled across the world to get to your plate has a much higher impact on our environment. More energy is needed to transport, refrigerate and store it and often, more packaging is needed to keep it fresh. By eating local, seasonal foods you can help reduce the environmental costs associated with your food.
- You can eat better food for less
Local produce is more likely to be ripened on the farm before being harvested and delivered. This food is fresher, tastes better and is more nutritious. Although local food can be more expensive, buying in season means you’re getting it at peak supply when it’s at its cheapest.
- It supports your local community
When you buy locally produced food, the money you spend stays in Ireland to support our farmers and communities.
- It’s easier to know what you’re getting
Our globalised food system gives us great choice and convenience when it comes to our food. However, increasing the distance between where food is grown and processed makes it harder to get information about how it has been produced. The easiest way to know your food is to know where it comes from.
- You can help Stop Food Waste!
The longer food spends in storage and transit, the higher the chance of it spoiling and becoming waste. More than half of all food waste occurs along the supply chain. Buying locally and in season can help reduce the risk of food becoming waste before it gets to the shelves.
The next time you’re planning your shopping, check what’s in season at Bord Bia’s www.bestinseason.ie.
When you get to the shops, keep an eye out for seasonal foods and check the origin labels before you buy.
Better again, why not see what’s at your local farmers’ market? Here’s a list of Irish farmers’ markets by county.
Finally, to enjoy local food all year, preserve what’s in season. There are many great ways to preserve seasonal food such as drying, freezing or canning. Check out the preserving section to learn more about these techniques.