100 Mile Diet

The new 100 Mile Diet is an extremely environmentally friendly movement in food production and consumption. It simply means that as consumers, we attempt to purchase our food from a producer within 100 miles of where we live. We call this new, but it seems that both this and the organic movement are simply an attempt to return to what was the norm in our grandparent’s time. In fact, then it was probably more like the 5 or 10 mile diet.

The family farm produced a variety of crops and live-stock and probably shipped milk to the local dairy where it would be made into cheese. There would probably have also have been chickens to provide eggs for the family with extra for the local community. In some cases they would have separated the cream from the milk and churned it into butter. The crops would have been quite varied; hay for the cattle and probably some grain. The family garden provided vegetables for the family for the next year and the extra was brought to the local town to be sold. The same was the case for pigs and cattle. Purchasing local food was the norm.

Also, as in the Organic Movement of today, chemical fertilizers did not exist and very few toxic pesticides did either. Animal manure and unused vegetable matter was turned back into the soil to fertilize the next year’s crops.

The 100 Mile Diet of today is not necessarily certified organic but we have more opportunity to see the conditions where our food is being produced. This local buying situation is of benefit to the producer and the consumer. As consumers we have more choice about how our food is being produced and there is much more opportunity to buy it fresh. Fruit that has to travel great distances is often picked quite green and may be gassed in some instances to make it look ripe. Food acquired at the supermarket may have been produced literally thousands of miles away.

The 100 Mile Diet is good for the producer in a number of ways. Firstly, they will realize a better price because of lower transportation costs and fewer steps between them and the consumer. They may have the opportunity to grow a wider variety of food to meet the local needs. The advantage of this method, is that if one crop fails another may do well.

Although the advantages for the consumer and the producer are numerous, the advantages to the environment are many as well. Considerably less fuel is used to bring food to local markets. Smaller farms tend to have a less negative impact on the environment with regard to the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The manure from large factory farms has the reputation for disrupting eco systems.

We are fortunate to have the opportunity to be able to buy food direct from farms. Meaningful relationships of trust and appreciation can develop between those who produce food and those who enjoy it, through the 100 mile diet movement. We benefit from healthier food and the environment is more sustainable for years to come. So go ahead and take the 100 mile challenge. 100 mile diet