Why you should consider buying food straight from farmers

Consumers are increasingly becoming more aware of where their food comes from, and the knowledge of this has them reaching out to farmers more than ever. With the convenience of supermarkets offering swathes of over-priced low quality produce , it’s all too easy to forget that there are many viable alternatives out there to help improve how you experience food. Rather than shopping for the old fridge and freezer-bound produce common to big supermarket chains, sourcing food straight from farmers has quite a few advantages. This lessening of travel time not only makes food fresher for consumers at the end of the day, but helps in a myriad of other ways – read on to learn more about why this option has become so championed by foodies and families.

Fresh, healthy food at your doorstep

It should be obvious that food that is bought from farmers only to sit for months in cold storage in warehouses is not in your best interest. Not only is there a loss in quality with this storage, but you likely have no idea where the produce actually came from – it could have been shipped from any number of farms at any time. Instead, buying from farmers gives you a clear idea of exactly where your food is coming from and how fresh it is, which is always an uncertainty from supermarkets. Ordering from farmers means you’re connected to produce grown locally to you, but even without their lack of truck fleets, transportation is not an issue despite the absence of complex transportation chains that large supermarkets boast. Technology has allowed farmers to invest in high quality plastic packaging supplies to ensure that the produce they pack for consumers is as fresh as possible when it arrives at its intended destination.

Better for the community and the environment

Although our mind will often immediately drift to the food itself, it’s also important to consider what you’re supporting when you buy directly from farmers. Ordering local produce mean you’re supporting the work these farmers do directly, which ensures they can continue working without the added stresses of selling their produce for a pittance to supermarkets. At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that people who care about the food they grow should be encouraged to keep doing growing it in the long term. In addition to the community itself, ordering from farmers has a positive effect on the environment – the reduction of the carbon footprint that occurs from removing supermarket supply chains is not a negligible one, and increases with every person that elects to buy straight from the farmers. It is also these farmers that prize environmental accountability, as it is so closely related to how they work and their greater industry. For them, the environment is their livelihood.

Start buying fresher produce

As we’ve demonstrated, buying from farmers has a considerable number of advantages, including plastic packaging. Small communities boasting these farms rely a great deal on people who care about their food, so even if the cost is occasionally slightly more than supermarkets, it’s important to remember that the time, love and care they invest in their trade makes it worthwhile. Buying produce six months out of season from growers outside the country should be an emergency situation, not the norm – support seasonal produce to help it keep growing here!

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