The average North American meal travels 2,400 kilometers from field to plate, says the David Suzuki Foundation website. That's roughly the driving distance between Toronto and Regina.

Meanwhile, the Sierra Club of Canada estimates that the food consumed by a family of four is responsible for eight tonnes of CO2 emissions a year.

If you need another reason to support neighborhood producers, consider increased peace of mind. "Buying locally is much safer than just eating food that has been purchased en masse from goodness knows where," Bonita MaGee, Project Manager of the Farm Folk/City Folk Society told CTV.ca from Vancouver.

Shopping around the block also boosts nearby economies. "When you are buying a product that is locally produced, up to 90 percent of your food dollar is staying in your community. We've got 20,000 farms in BC and most of them are small scale sustainable family farms," said MaGee.

A product is deemed "locally grown" by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency if the item's origin is within 50 km of where it's sold.
Source: CTV.ca News, April 18, 2007

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