The challenge for the week was to look at whether I was buying seasonal fruit and vegetables and also how many miles away from home my food was travelling. I think most people are aware that for the environment it is better to buy locally.
If you live in Queensland you can download the seasonal fruit and vegetable wheel from www.ecofriendlyfood.org.au to see what is in season. (The state fruit and vegetable growers websites often have information on seasonal fruit and vegetables.) When I had a look at the chart, most of the fruit and vegetables I buy are available locally and in season except carrots. However, a lot of the food I was buying at the supermarket had travelled many ‘food miles’. To get fresher local produce the food markets are the best option. For time poor people like me, I discovered Food Connect and received my first box of fresh produce last Thursday. You can definitely taste the difference with food picked the day before delivery. Check out their website www.foodconnect.com.au for more information – they have systems in place for New South Wales and Queensland. Another website is www.localharvest.org/csa – you can plug in your post code and it tells you what farmers markets or locally produced food is available nearby. Finally the last website that was interesting during this week’s challenge was www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au. If you go to this website it has plenty of resources including a meal planner that helps you to plan your meals and prevent you from buying more food than you need for the week.
I do talks to groups about healthy eating on a food budget using the FoodCents information. It is interesting to see that by purchasing seasonal fruit and vegetables locally you can keep to a budget easier and also be doing your bit for the environment.
Love to hear any tips or comments people have.