Does Sustainability Taste Better?

What is it about a farmer’s market that keeps bringing you back? Is it the appreciation of knowing someone has dedicated their life to provide fresh food; what about the visceral excitement of walking from booth to booth soaking in the colorful spreads and friendly faces; or is it simply because the food smells and tastes amazing??

Whatever your reason, farmer's markets offer a ton of benefits to their farmers, customers, and the environment, but the key factor that continues to drive excitement and expansion is unequivocal taste.

Too often we rely on packaged and processed foods in our grocery stores and restaurants, unbeknownst that these foods come from an industry carefully engineered to exchange short term gain for long term instability.

Designed to travel far distances, much of the produce is picked early and then treated to ripen during transport.

It can also be highly processed in factories using preservatives, irradiation, and other means to keep it stable for transport and sale (CUESA).

Food that is locally sourced is grown to taste as good as possible — ensuring that the food is harvested at its peak nutritional value because it does not have to travel extraordinary distances to reach its consumer (UVM).

“[…] eating food made from local produce and using traditional production methods, significantly changed the perception of the food.” — Michael Bom Frøst Associate Professor, Food Science, University of Copenhagen

Whenever I go out to eat I’m constantly on the lookout for restaurants that have a farm-to-table menu. There’s something reassuring about seeing a list of ingredients that are sourced directly from local farms.

One, I know that the restaurant cares about the quality of food they serve, and two, locally sourced ingredients are better for the environment — it’s a win-win!

While taste is obviously huge when it comes to food, we are approaching an age where making food more sustainable is taking a front seat.

Chefs all over the world are focusing on using native ingredients and working with local farmers to reduce food miles while opting for more plant-based menus and ensuring they use sustainable fish.

So, give your taste buds a treat and check your local restaurants for a farm-to-table menu — they’ll thank you for it!