Does your grocery bag include a freshly baked baguette and locally grown basil and apples? The trend to consume high-quality artisanal foods persists despite the increasing costs of basic foods worldwide. A recent article from the Irish Independent explains that Ireland is going local and organic. According to recent studies, almost half of Irish grocery shoppers have purchased an organic product in the last month. Annual sales in organic produce alone exceed 100 million pounds.
Just this month, there will be a series of events in Ireland promoting local and organic produce, meat, bread, and cheese. The first one begins this weekend in Dublin at Marks & Spencer where grocery shoppers will have the opportunity to meet the farmers producing local produce. The next is National Organic Week when there will be a series of events on farms. Next weekend is the Septemberfest Food and Drinks Fair. September is an important month for Irish produce and they're taking every opportunity to enjoy it.
According to this article, buying organic in Ireland seems to imply local. In the U.S., buying organic is not necessarily environmentally friendly, because it often means that products from another part of the country or globe are flown and/or driven to your food store. I would encourage many of us this month to do as the Irish do - explore the incredible diverse produce that's available locally. September is a great month for American produce too.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-11-2008 @ 9:22PM
nick said...
I'm pretty sure you mean to say buying ORGANIC is not necessarily environmentally friendly. Unless you mean China is "local" :)
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9-12-2008 @ 8:50AM
kelvin said...
Why is it that in the west everything organic or made from recycled materials is expensive?
Writing paper, notes books, toilet rolls, books... made from recycled paper are all expensive, more or the same price as ones made from new materials. Yet the quality is not as good i.e paper is not pure white, more yellowish. And recycled materials cost less than new materials.
In poor countries, anything made from recycled materials is much cheaper due to its quality.
And why does organic food has to so expensive? An article in WHICH Organic magazine said that organic food does not mean it is better than non-organic food, in fact they all taste the same and have the same amount of nutrition in them.
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9-12-2008 @ 2:24PM
Max Shrem said...
OMG! Thanks for noticing that error. I made the correction.
Thanks
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