What's the true value of local food?

What's the true value of local food?

Shelly Oswald

Do you really want all of your food options to be controlled by a handful of corporate or foreign-owned businesses? I don't.

Consider this ...

“The most effective way to conquer people is to attack their food systems – burning crops, destroying food-storage systems, destroying bison, letting cattle graze on ancient fields,” he said. “If you can control the food, you can control the people. It’s a war tactic.” ~ Sean Sherman, the Sioux Chef  

The ability to control our regional food supply (food sovereignty) is the priceless value of local food - a hard lesson learned by the indigenous people of our country.

Remember empty shelves during the pandemic, the current lack of chicken due to Tyson choosing an infertile rooster, ransomware shutting down the foreign-owned processor that controls 20% of the US beef and hog production recently, or the many massive fruit, lettuce and meat recalls?

These are all symptoms of a centralized "cheap" industrial food supply that lacks resilience.

Local food, on the other hand, creates regional food security, regional food sovereignty, and national security by diversifying our food resources and keeping them within reach of our community.

Not knowing if you will have food to put on your plate is a really high price to pay for "cheap" food.

What's the value of the small local producers & processors, who worked tirelessly during the pandemic, to bring food to their communities being there the next time we need them?

What's the value of "seed-saving" provided by meat & veggie farms, backyard chicken keepers, and home gardeners who make sure our food genetics are not all controlled by a handful of companies worldwide so we have biodiversity to fall back on when Tyson's rooster fails to do his job?

Food is a basic need for survival = a strong Local Food supply is priceless.

Consumer decisions got us into this centralized food mess and consumer decisions will get us out of it. 

Industry has consistently shown it will contort itself into pretzels to try to appease the consumer which gives the consumer incredible power to direct the change in our food system.

Your badass self has the power to change the future of food so what are you waiting for?

You can help secure the future of local food by supporting local producers with your food dollars, growing your own food, or simply sharing this message. 

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