The Local Food Movement In The United States

Society has recovered its vehement desire for a healthy and wholesome lifestyle. Because of this, the local food movement has gained popularity among those who desire this image. As this path for nutrition is becoming more defined, it has helped coin the term “locavores”, a person whose diet consists of only local, or foods grown within a ten mile radius (Miller). However, as more people buy into the argument for the local food movement, in which it states that the consumption of food translates directly to the welfare of the consumer as well as the environment, its “benefits” quickly become noticeable consequences when searching deeper into the cause. In other words, the repercussions unveiled by the growing attractiveness for this lifestyle …show more content…
With the gaining support for locavorism and farmer’s markets, the masses look to local foods to replenish their thirst for nutrition. According to the American Dietetic Association, “a low-income family would have to devote 43 to 70 percent of its food budget to fruits and vegetables to meet the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, which recommends five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day” (Williams). With more pressure to possess a healthy lifestyle, many strive to meet guidelines and ultimately, local food is seen as the answer. Consequently, this urge leads to the use of money, resulting in a term described as “food insecure”, or when there is a limited access to an adequate amount of nutritious food, usually due to the lack of money (Miller). Thus, it is obvious that lower-income families are more prone to be labeled as “food insecure”, as more of their income would be used towards the same cost for healthy food as a family with higher income. A key example for the growing insecurities of families is the Fergusons, who spend on food $1,000 a month, or 20 percent of their income on strictly local foods. Although not seeming like much, when comparing the Fergusons to the average American, who spends 13 percent on food, it is evident that they contribute a substantial amount (Miller). The local food movement is proved to be …show more content…
Thus, adult and children farmers are forced to work long hours on farms while unpaid for the extra time. According to Gerardo Gutierrez, an attorney collaborating with the Rural Migrant Ministry in Poughkeepsie, New York farmers work up to 60 to 80 hours per week, usually for all seven days, which convey that because of the no-overtime pay provision and the lack of the right for collective bargaining implemented in the system, growers are exploiting on labor that is not being fully recuperated (Almendral). Without the rights provided for these farmers, who spend the most of their days working in order for food to be on other’s plates, the ethicality of the local food movement comes into question, as the fantasy it promotes has an alternate side. From the long days that are integrated into these farmers’ work lives, the unfortunate burden is on home lives. Furthermore, “farmworkers and their families often survive in extreme poverty punctuated by substandard housing and lack of access to clean water, adequate food, healthcare and education” (“Farmworkers”). In fact, these details are demonstrated through the life of Antonio Valeriano, who lives in a “run-down old house” on the Hudson Valley, the area where he works, with three people per room. This grower-provided labor camp may be convenient to go to work, as it would only be nearby, but