When the article came out a few weeks ago in the SF Chronicle talking about the August Eat Local Challenge and the Locavores, there was a very good list printed in it that I think bears repeating.
For years I have said "local over organic" which I believe I first read in a piece about Rick Bayless. This list takes that idea a bit further and I think that it's a great set of guidelines:
You may find yourself confronted with the choice of organic or local. How do the two fit in each other? Here are the Locavores' guidelines:
-- Whenever possible, buy, eat and cook local -- i.e. within the foodshed.
-- If not locally produced, then organic. This choice generally protects the environment and your body from chemicals and hormones.
-- If not organic, then family farm. If it comes down to Kraft versus Cabot (a dairy co-op in Vermont), choose Cabot.
-- If not family farm, then local business. Coffee and wheat products may be difficult. At least support a local coffee-roasting house and local bakery.
-- If not a local business, then go for terroir. Purchase foods that express the region they are grown in and support the local agriculture. If you're buying Brie, by it from Brie, France; if Parmesan cheese, from Parma, Italy.
(Source: SF Chronicle, June 1, 2005)
