Genetic engineering. Antibiotics. Pesticides. Additives. Air pollution. Animal welfare. Economics. Irradiation. Hormones. rBGH. Water pollution.

Now that I’ve got your attention, do you think about any of the above before making food choices?

If so, then you’ve likely been far ahead of me for years. I’m a little slow with the food.

[give that head of mine a shake]

Well, that was before parenthood. This is now.

Now I’m almost a complete nut job when it comes to what goes into the mouth of my son, my spouse and myself. Okay, okay there’s always room for a moderate amount of junk food in my house. And there is always room for beer (imported beer nonetheless).

[this girl has got to live a little]

But I find myself reading labels very closely these days. I’m making choices based on those labels. I’m eating organic as much as I can. I’m eating local as much as I can.

Seriously, there have been times when my kid falls asleep in the grocery cart while I’m busy reading label after label in the aisle.

There have been times when I curse the lack of a Blackberry because I could have looked up those unknown and impossible to pronounce ingredients before I made the purchase.

There have been times when I’ve returned a product because I locate more info at home and am devastated to find out it’s filled with nothing but chemicals and isn’t really a product of Canada.

Luckily, there are a number of places in the Comox Valley to get tasty local fruit, vegetables, meat and other grocery related products. We are fortunate to live in a place ripe with farms, orchards, berry patches and so many markets selling all things local.

What’s the skinny on all that produce trucked across this vast country and halfway around the world?

The average food item travels more than 2,000 kilometres before reaching your plate.  Yup, that’s 2,000 kilometres of fuel, pollution and whole lot of waiting.

Fruits and vegetables shipped from distant places can spend as many as 7-14 days in transit before they arrive in the grocery store.

I don’t know about you, but produce in transit for 1-2 weeks doesn’t scream fresh to me. It says a whole lot of other things (and none of it all that pleasant).

What is the benefit of buying local? Besides exceptional taste and freshness, buying local supports our economy, builds community and benefits family farmers. It gives you the satisfaction of knowing exactly where your food comes from. It is good for family wellness and the health of the environment. Plus, ditching foreign foods also saves over 200 kilograms of carbon emissions in one year.

[big thumbs up]

So what exactly do I do? I read signs and labels searching for Vancouver Island, BC and Canadian products and choose as local as I can.

It’s that simple.

In turn I get to feed my family healthy fresh products, reduce my ecological footprint and support our community.

While eating local is fabulous in so many ways, it can also put a slight dent in the wallet. This isn’t so wonderful but, like many before me, I’ve got my way around that. I’m growing a variety of fruits and vegetables in my backyard. I’m lucky enough to have the space for a good-sized garden plot, friends with green thumbs (answering all my endless questions) and the time to invest.

[could I get more local?]

It’s going to be a satisfying endeavor growing some of my own food. It definitely won’t be a self-sufficient one, but no doubt an incredible process for my family and myself. (See the sidebar for details on registering for Community Garden plots through Our Big Earth)

It will have us thinking about the environmental and economic impacts of our consumption choices. It will have us sharing the fruits of our labour with friends and neighbours. It will have us learning and working together.

Does this mean I’m giving up foreign eats for good? No way.

I toss a few mangos in my grocery cart from time to time. My 2.75 year old loves oranges. We eat rice that has traveled all the way from India. We use spices from Iran. We drink wine from Australia, Chile and a whole host of other countries (ours included).

[gasp]

While I am guilty of enjoying products from all over this planet, I do think before I buy.

[really I do]

I aim to make purchasing decisions that lead to a safer, greener, and more equitable society. While I’m not always buying local I do think about where products are coming from and the outcome of my purchase. Are they Fair Trade? Am I buying from a small collective? Is the product labeled organic and local actually a line from a large multi-national corporation? I’ve even put things back on the shelf after wandering the isles and pondering my choice.

I support this community, this province and this country as best I can.

But, thinking green is, in the end, all about conscious choice.