The concept ‘farm-to-table’ has been used in culinary and climate-friendly literature for quite some time now, but it is only recently that it has risen to garner consumers’ attention. Therefore, today, more than ever, this concept holds importance for restaurateurs and those generally related to the food business.
Today, health and climate-considerate diners will ask questions about how the food on their plates came to be? From where was it sourced? What steps did it have to go through to reach the table? Were there any climate sustainability practices violated in the production of the ingredients that went into the meal?
These are all the questions you must answer to satisfy this new breed of conscious consumers, and farm-to-table cooking might the best change you could make for your restaurant in these times.
Farm-to-table or farm-to-fork eating is about using locally-produced food. The restaurant owners and grocers source their food from local farms. But some rather less ardent proponents of farm-to-table cuisines argue that it refers to food which is organic and non-GMO, and whether it was sourced locally or from farther out, shouldn’t matter.
Some restaurant owners and grocery stores boast about sourcing food from other parts of the country or worldwide. They essentially try to appeal to the customers who prefer imported to local goods; the farm-to-table shuns this kind of elitism that certain restaurants and restaurant-goers might pride themselves upon.
Following are the benefits of farm-to-table eating:
Availability of fresh food
The most apparent benefit of the farm-to-table is that it makes sure that the freshest produce is readily at hand. The longer the food takes to reach your plate, the more nutrients it loses on the journey over. You can get the locally produced food from your local grocery store, or get it delivered to your restaurant, as soon as the farmer has done harvesting and picking it.
This is what local grocery stores everywhere are capitalizing on, tempting those customers who want the freshest of the produce. Locals can now look for online delivery options that can get groceries delivered right to their front door. For instance, you can find grocery delivery in Edmonton here with SPUD, and get the best local produce from farms in Edmonton.
It is believed that food often travels more than 1500 miles before it reaches your plate. So, to ensure that it reaches you fully ripe, farmers harvest it before it has reached full ripeness, so as to let it ripen on the way over. Foods that have been stored for longer lose their full nutritional value.
Economic benefits
First, focus on the benefits that grocers, restaurants, and the local community reap by adopting farm-to-table eating. Sourcing food from local growers is simpler than just getting it delivered by suppliers from another country or city.
You don’t have to pay for the geographical distance and get entangled with industry intermediaries who often jack up food prices to make profits. Getting from the local growers eliminates the need for it to be transported along global or city supply lines, meaning that you will have less costs to pay in the end.
For local gorwers, it supports the development of local communities and small businesses centered on organic agricultural practices. Instead of paying businesses in other cities and countries, you get to help the local communities.
According to the Farmers Market Coalition, farmers in America only get 17.4 cents out of every dollar spent on food in the country, which does not even cover the costs of producing, which is highly unfair for small farmers.
With local food sourcing, more money can go into their pockets. These local farms can become vendors for the big restaurants that need fresh supply of food and want to cut back on the cost and the time it takes for raw food to reach their kitchen.
Social benefits
Money going to the local community farms results in uplifting of the social and financial standing of the community. When you source food locally, you are not just supporting one farm but all the families dependent on the income from the farm.
When people earn money, they tend to spend well on education, food, and other requirements, leading to an overall enhancement of rural life. So, locally sourcing your food has far reaching and profound consequences for the better.
Benefits for the climate
The farm-to-table concept promotes sustainability by reducing carbon emissions that can come from transportation and food storage. When you purchase food from other cities, you have to pay additional transportation costs, but, and more importantly, the emissions from the transport vehicles involved in delivering your food can add to the levels of greenhouse gas in atmosphere.
On the contrary, when getting food from local farms, the food doesn’t have to travel long distances, leading to significant cuts in emissions and costs.
Often food sourced from outside the country is also stored to be used much later after the time it was harvested. Storage costs, in the form of refrigeration, can lead to a higher energy consumption.
Local farms also use eco-friendly methods, such as hydroponics and other natural food-production methods, which lets food grow at its own organic and natural pace. Supporting locally produced, farm-to-table foods and eating helps nudge a widespread adoption of these eco-friendly practices.
You know what you are eating
When you get food from local sources, you know exactly what goes into growing the food. As some might sense a touch of pride and novelty in trying out imported delicacies of fruits and veggies that have been sourced thousand of miles from where they’re sitting, there’s also the often repressed knowledge that it has taken days or months to reach their tables.
The polished tomatoes and shiny capsicums may look exquisite but might not be as nutritious as you might think. Or perhaps the strange-looking fruits is GMO, but it has taken quite a while in storage to finally arrive at your dining table. So, before you get cocky about the imported varieties of foods you eat, think about whether or not it’s still safe to consume after all its time on the road or aboard a ship.
Moreover, unlike canned and frozen food, fresh food has no preservatives added. The locally-produced chicken and beef doesn’t need a chlorine bath or a stuffing of the hormones, respectively, which are shockingly acceptable commercial practices.
The only way to avoid GMO, a dose of the chlorine, hormone-infested beef, and pesticide-rich veggies is to stick to the local and reliable farms where you’re sure to get true organic quality that will maimtain your health and must take exercise like jiggly butt, Jump squats etc.
Conclusion
Farm-to-table eating is gaining traction, for good reason, as we become aware of the hazards of eating food sourced through unreliable, compromised, and from far-off exotic places. The splendid commercial-grade packaging of the chicken and veggies shouldn’t let us glance over the fact that it took thousands of miles for it to reach us and that it has been stored for a very, very long time; often too long for it to be considered safe for consumption. Farm-to-table eating supports local businesses, has benefits for the climate, and is overall a highly nutritious alternative to the corporate megascale food production operations that produce food devoid of nutritional value.
I am Jones Smith and I am here to share my experience and expertise in writing. I’ve been writing articles for different publications for more than 6 years. I have a varied range of interests and that’s why I love blogging about different topics. In my opinion, blogging is a lot like acting, and I consider writing blog posts as an acting job. I am an entrepreneur by heart and there is nothing big or small when it comes to starting a business.