The project, initiated by a UB researcher, includes a commitment that asks people to keep an eye on their spending on local food
At this point, we should understand the benefits of eating healthy, locally grown food. Maybe you want your money to circulate in the greater Buffalo area? Or you want to use it to support local producers? Or you want to save on the gas that would otherwise be used to transport the produce to Buffalo? Or maybe you find it important to know where your food comes from to ensure its environmental footprint?
There are many reasons to choose Eat Local WNY. And now there’s another. Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the University at Buffalo (UB) has launched the Eat Local WNY initiative.
The project aims to create a thriving community through investment in local food, local businesses and local people.
The grant to establish the initiative was awarded to FreshFix in partnership with the Massachusetts Avenue Project and UB. FreshFix’s Food Hub at the Niagara Frontier Food Terminal is essentially a connection point between regional farmers and local small businesses and nonprofits. The arrangement allows the farmers to boost their wholesale business while the small business owners and nonprofits can source the food at affordable prices.
Another part of Eat Local WNY’s business formula is encouraging shoppers to take a food pledge*, where they commit to buying at least 10% of their food from local food producers. Those who want to participate can check out the list of farmers markets, farm-to-table restaurants, farms that offer community supported agriculture (CSAs), and agritourism to learn about the different sourcing options (see the Eat Local WNY website). The website also provides additional information to the consumer, including which vegetables are in season.
“Every time you buy food as a consumer, you are voting with your wallet about what kind of food system you want to see,” says Dr. Lucia Leone, the lead researcher on the UB subcontract and an associate professor in the Department of Public Health and Health Behavior in UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.
“Shopping from local farmers and growers and the businesses that support them is a vote for fair wages for farmers, better management of our farmland, less impact on the environment and, of course, fresher, more delicious food,” adds Leone, who with her husband Joshua Bowen co-founded FreshFix, a Buffalo-based company that offers locally grown produce through a weekly subscription service that delivers boxes of fresh produce to customers’ homes.
Buffalo has always been known as a city that supports your own. We frequently visit locally owned cafes, pizzerias, restaurants, grocery stores, etc.
That connection became even stronger during the Covid-19 pandemic, as people became more aware of the importance of local producers as supply chain issues affected the availability of some goods and services, says Kristie Chamberlain, business development partner at FreshFix.
Unfortunately, inflation occurred after the pandemic, causing some people to return to buying cheaper food instead of choosing healthier foods purchased at farmers’ markets, for example.
“We want to change that perception by helping people see the connection they have with our region’s farmers,” says Chamberlain.
“From a financial perspective, the money stays local, with local farmers and restaurants, instead of being sent to big agri-food companies in California,” she says. “There are also so many great programs like Double-Up Food Bucks that help subsidize the cost of eating local produce for low-income consumers.”
“The quality of the food is much better when it is fresh,” says Gayle Thorpe of Thorpe’s Organic Family Farm in East Aurora. She notes: There is nothing more beautiful than biting into a peach picked at the end of July or a strawberry picked in June.
“Being a local food producer is an honor,” says Emily Savage of the Savage Wheat Project and Savage Wheat Bakery in Holland, New York (cover photo). “It sounds obvious, but when you feed your community, the community gets stronger. Savage Wheat couldn’t exist without other local farms.”
Businesses and organizations interested in supporting local products and sharing the Food Promise with their customers or constituents can contact the team at [email protected] for flyers, handouts, social media posts and other promotional materials. To be added to the Eat Local WNY website resources page, please also contact the email address above.
*After participants sign up for the food pledge, they receive a short survey about what they typically buy and where they buy it from. Then, participants log their food purchases each week for three months and provide researchers with data that is summarized in a report on how much food is bought locally. Pledge participants receive weekly text message reminders to shop local and receive a regular email with resources to help them find out where to buy food that is locally grown, harvested, or produced.
