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Food Travels

Have you ever wondered how far your food travels to get to your plate?  Today I sat down to write this blog, and I was amazed to find out how far most of our store-bought foods really come from.  Here are my findings:

 If you shop at local grocery store chains, your dinner has traveled an average of 1207 miles.

  • Apples                       Orondo, WA                           1461 miles

  • Goat Cheese            Pleasanton, Ca                       833 miles

  • Potatoes                    Idaho                                     1,037 miles

  • Greens                      Salinas Valley, CA                  790 miles

  • Chuck Roast            Bridgewater, NJ                  2402 miles

  • Peaches                    San Joauin Valley, CA            718 miles

If you shop at the your local farmers market, your dinner has traveled an average of 70.5 miles.

  • Apples – English Family                      Wilcox, Arizona                             81 miles

  • Goat Cheese – Flor de Capra              Sierra Vista, Arizona                   75 miles

  • Potatoes – Richcrest Farm                 Wilcox, Arizona                            81 miles

  • Greens – Sleeping Frog Farm             Dragoon Springs, Arizona       67 miles

  • Chuck Roast – Walking J Farm           Amado, Arizona                         41 miles

  • Peaches – Big D Farm                            Cochise, Arizona                         78 miles

The economic impact is significant, with more than 80,000 acres lost each year to growth, development, and farm bankruptcy. If each one of us just makes a small investment in our food shed future, we can make a huge impact in the health and wellbeing of both ourselves and the local farmers in our state.  Arizona is a vibrant agricultural and ranching area, and the farmers markets help create a sustainable urban-rural partnership that brings the blessings of healthy local food to our communities and sustains the working landscape that feeds us.  So next time you are thinking about your dinner plans, shop the farmers markets–it’s local, it’s available, and it’s an investment for our future. (And it’s only 70.5 miles to your plate!)