Topic – Eating Local Foods

Eating Local Foods

Some foods in the grocery store come from places far away. Trucks, trains, ships, and airplanes transport food from one place to another. Many of the fruits and vegetables on store shelves were grown in places far away from where you live—even in other countries!

Local foods are foods grown in the area where you live. Let us look at some reasons why many people are trying to eat more local foods.

•  Local foods are fresher because you buy them soon after they were harvested. They did not spend days or weeks getting to the grocery store from a place far away. Fruits and vegetables taste better when they are fresh.

•  Over time, fruits and vegetables lose some of their nutrients, such as vitamins. Local food gets to your grocery store much faster, so it gives you more nutrients that help keep you healthy.

•  Eating local foods also helps the environment. Trucks, airplanes, and other forms of transportation pollute the air. The farther they travel, the more pollution they create. Trucks carrying food from a local farm create less pollution than a truck that carries food from far away.

It is okay to eat foods that are not local. Some foods you enjoy might not grow in your area. Local fruits and vegetables are for sale only in the season when they are ripe. It is important to eat a variety of foods, but try to eat local foods as often as you can. You will help yourself and the environment!

Now, show what you know!

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