May is Local Organic Produce Month!

With the commencement of the warmer weather, we'd like to bring attention to the importance of buying local organic produce this season, while everything fresh and local will be in abundance! But there are lots of folks who don't really know the incredible importance of supporting local organic farms. Below are several fantastic reasons to fill your plate with fresh, local produce this season!

Why Buy Local?

1. Locally grown food tastes better.

Food grown in your own community was probably picked within the past few days. Several studies have shown the average distance food travels from farm to plate is 1,500 miles.

2. Local food preserves genetic diversity.
In the modern industrial agricultural system, only a handful of hybrid varieties of each fruit and vegetable meet their rigorous demands for the packing and shipping process, so there is little genetic diversity in the plants grown. Local farms, in contrast, grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest, an array of eye-catching colors, and the best flavors. Many varieties are heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation.

3. Local food is GMO-free.
Although biotechnology companies have been trying to commercialize genetically modified fruits and vegetables, they are currently licensing them only to large factory-style farms. Local farmers most likely won't use genetically modified seeds.

4. Local food supports local farm families & communities.
With fewer than one million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed. A farmer now gets less than 10 cents of the retail food dollar. Local farmers who sell direct to consumers receive the full retail price for their food - which means farm families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love.

5. Local food is about the future.
By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow, and that future generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful, and abundant food.

Why Buy Organic?

Preserves prime agricultural land
Does not disturb the natural cycle of the earth's delicate ecosystem
Reduces the use of pollutant fossil fuels
Fewer synthetic chemicals in our bodies and in our groundwater
Strengthens the local farm economy therefore assuring the livelihood of hard
working committed growers and agricultural workers

The Kimberton Whole Foods Contribution

Kimberton Whole Foods offers 90% organic produce, and what is not organic is local
We work with local vendors from the eastern PA area, helping to support small family farms
We also support many local organizations and projects that aim to support our local foodshed
KWF supports over 70 local businesses and farmers located within 150 miles of the Kimberton store location