It’s impossible to talk about the rise of
farm-to-table without discussing the fall of
the processed food empire. Packaged goods thrived after innovations in food
processing and storage, and peaked
with the canned food during the 1950s. Processed food continued to reign
supreme until the 1960s and 1970s. At that point, the hippie movement
using local and organic food swept the States.
After a few years, hippie preferences began showing up in
formal food structures. In 1979, the non-profit “Organically Grown” opened in
Oregon. In 1986, Carlo Perini founded the Slow Food Organization in Italy. Back
in the States, pioneers like Alice Waters arose, who was a champion of local,
sustainable agriculture, opened the Chez Panisse in 1971. In 2003, Kimbal Musk started The Kitchen in Boulder,
CO. The main driving forces behind the
farm-to-table movement have to do with the ethics of food production. Here are
four pillars of the movement:
·
Food
security-The
farm-to-table movement increases the scope of food security to move beyond the
food needs of individuals or families and look at the needs of both the larger
community, with a focus on low-income households. It has a strategic goal of
developing local food systems.
·
Proximity- The farm-to-table movement hinges
on the notion that the various components of a food system (or a restaurant)
should exist in the closest proximity to each other as possible. The goal is to
develop relationships between the various stakeholders in a food system such as
farmers, processors, retailers, restaurateurs, and consumers. Additionally,
proximity reduces the environmental impact of transporting ingredients across
states or countries.
·
Self-reliance-One of the goals of farm-to-table is
to generate communities that can meet their own food needs, eliminating the
need for outside resources, or long distance transportation of food.
·
Sustainability-The
core idea here is that farm-to-table food systems exist in a way that doesn’t
stifle the ability of future generations to meet their food needs. This means
that it doesn’t destroy resources in the process.
Below are the benefits of a farm-to-table lifestyle for
today’s consumer:
·
Local
food is often more nutritious-Because it’s not
shipped long distances, locally grown food is often tasty and healthy. Food
that’s shipped is often flexible to travel. A study of 16 popular fruits and
vegetables showed the average was transferred nearly 1,500 miles before being
sold. In addition, 39 percent of fruit and 12 percent of vegetables were
imported from outside the United States. To keep food from going bad during
travel, some fruits and vegetables are picked before they are able to
completely ripen and absorb nutrients. While this allows produce to ripen en
route so consumers have access to fresh foods year-round, the U.S. Department
of Agriculture says this mean foods often lack nutrients that would be there if
allowed to ripen before being picked and shipped.
·
Local
food is better for the earth-Not only is local food
better for your health, it’s also better for the environment. For instance, the
average 18-wheeled semi truck travels about 5 miles per gallon of gas. That
means about 500 gallons of diesel fuel is needed to haul produce an average
distance of 1,500 miles.
·
The
local economy also benefits when consumers buy their food locally-Because
a large volume of produce is shipped upward of 1,500 miles before reaching the
consumer, the local areas where the food was grown and raised don’t always
benefit from the sale of the food. On the other hand, buying food locally can
improve the economic vitality of small, local farms.
·
Farm-to-table
eating offers diners a wide variety of choices when it comes to food-Farm-to-table
offerings include any type of whole food imaginable just as long as it’s in
season. This not only means fresh fruit and vegetables, but also meat, cheese
and other dairy products, nuts, and baked items.
·
The
concept of farm-to-table is not only being adopted by restaurants, but the idea
is also being instilled in younger generations-
A farm-to-school movement is growing nationwide. This helps support small- to-
mid-size local farms by giving them regular business, and in return, students
get healthy locally grown food. Many schools also offer nutrition education
that aims to teach kids where food comes from and to be healthy eaters.
“Many countries have food
safety systems from farm-to-table. Everybody involved in the food supply is
required to follow standard food safety procedures. You would think that
everyone involved with food would not want people to get sick from it.” (Marion Nestle) [i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“Local food: 5 benefits of farm-to-table eating” by
The San Diego Union-Tribune
·
“The History of the Farm to Table Movement” by Cinnamon Janzer
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