Is local food safer?
9th October 2007
A new report from Rich Pirog and Andy Larson of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University suggests that US consumers believe that local food is safer than that from further afield.
The report, titled Consumer perceptions of the safety, health and environmental impact of various scales and geographic origin of food supply chains, is the conclusion of research into:
- Consumer perceptions about food safety, with specific regard to where their food comes from and how it is grown;
- Consumer understanding of the impact that food production has on greenhouse gas emissions;
- Consumer willingness to pay more for environmentally friendly food; and
- Consumer perceptions of health benefits from locally produced and organic foods.
The OrganicAuthority.com blog has some analysis:
Survey respondents placed high importance on food safety, freshness (harvest date) and pesticide use on fresh produce they purchase, with somewhat lower importance placed on whether produce was locally grown, the level of greenhouse gas emissions it took to produce and transport the produce, and whether the respondent could contact the farmer who grew it.
Pirog said that while 70% of the respondents perceived the U.S. food system to be safe, concern was raised when they were asked about the safety of fresh produce from other continents. Eighty-five percent and 88% of respondents, respectively, perceived local and regional food systems to be somewhat safe or very safe, compared to only 12% for the global food system.
The full report and an executive summary can be downloaded from the Leopold Center website.
