Food thoughts from a Millennial
Thoughts from a 94… The last of the no phone people. The convenience crew. The “spoiled” kids. The Google generation. As 90’s babies we are also the first generation to have the topics of sustainability, climate and equality brought up in our day to day lives.
We have the chance to do some great things. I think it starts with our food. Only 2% of us farm, but 100% of us eat. Food is a universal need that everyone must play a part in. From growing, to transporting, to eating we are all involved in some part of the food chain.
The way we conduct our day to day lives has changed so why can’t the way we interact with food change?
An old friend of mine always says “Love every idea for 5 minutes.” So I challenge you to keep that in mind when thinking about this question.
Could sourcing farm to fridge groceries once per month or once per week solve some big time issues in terms of sustainability and healthy living?
1) Let’s put money aside for just a minute (hard I know). How many miles does our food travel to get into a position for us to purchase it? Canada is a huge land mass and food needs to travel. But consider the energy needed to import a product vs purchasing a local product. Yes it requires more energy out of you yourself, but in the grand scheme of things think about how much energy is being saved from that one local purchase.
2) Think of the amount of times you grab fast food vs taking the time to grab a locally grown product. What if you replaced one fast food meal with a locally grown meal per month? Consider how this could impact your overall health.
3) Smaller portion sizes, unknown ingredients, best before dates. Have you ever questioned these food topics? You have the option to control and simplify your groceries and learn about what goes into producing a product.
4) People go to the gym to exercise, so why not go to the farm to eat? As the world becomes more convenient, if forces us to become much more deliberate with our health choices. Fitness facilities give folks the option to exercise, producer direct foods gives the same option for diet.
5) The declining 2%. I think it is pretty incredible how such a small percentage can support so much. I can’t think of another scenario where a small fraction of the population impacts 100 percent of the population. Ironically it is perhaps one of the most important aspects of one’s health, diet. If more folks took the time to support local perhaps more people might get inspired to get involved in agriculture.
Ok you can go back to not liking the idea and money does in fact influence our purchases. Farm to fridge is not for everyone but with G’day it becomes and option for everyone. I think small changes have the ability create wide scale differences.
G’day is a platform that connects you with local farms and producers, allowing you to buy your groceries straight from the folks that produce them. From produce to protein, wine to cheese, you’ll find it on G’day!
