THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL
It’s a sad person who doesn’t consider his fellow being, in particular those in one’s own community, so it’s a no brainer to make supporting local producers a key component of one’s values, and at Left Bank, we put purchasing local product at the top of our list.
Food is one area where it is even more important to support local, with many benefits including improved taste, climate mitigation and environmental improvements. Local food is also an important component of the health and sustainability of our communities.
Local food is good for the environment; less distance between production and consumption means fewer delivery trucks and a reduction in diesel consumption; decreased road congestion is a bonus. The broccoli you buy at the supermarket has probably seen more of the country in the past week than you have in the past six months. Buying local helps improve our carbon footprint, local food also has much less packaging, thereby reducing waste. By supporting local producers, it benefits the local economy, which increases the spend in other local shops – a continuing money-go-round. It also helps provide local jobs for people who contribute to the community both socially and economically.
Food that is grown locally is so much tastier as it is harvested at the peak of ripeness; those who have had the opportunity to taste the difference between a home-grown tomato or cob of sweet corn, compared to a supermarket purchased product, will attest to that.
Not only the taste, but also the nutritive value of the product is superior. How it’s grown, ripeness at harvest, storage, processing and packaging, and the practices of people all along the line, from the seed to the table, whether or not produce is local or transported from a distance, all contribute to either retaining or destroying nutrient value.
Locally produced food also lessens the risk of contamination; the reduced time to consumption lessens the potential for food safety issues that occur during distribution.
We believe local businesses have a responsibility to contribute to the community. No company, no matter the size, can operate in a bubble. All decisions impact employees, customers and other businesses, all part of the community we live in and serve. That is why we source local product whenever we can. Milk and cream from Bella Vacca, locally grown fruit and vegetables, seafood, wines from, Mahinepua Bay, Byrne, The Landing, Ake Ake, Rogue Vine and 144 Islands, beers from Kainui, liqueurs from Sovrano, spirits from Black Collar, and many other products are all sourced locally. We make on site many items including Haumanu Rongoa from Kawakawa, Kumarahou and other local produce, and a delicious Turmeric Latte. Our honey comes from Graham at Kerikeri Honey.
Later this month, we will be participating in the Local Food Feasts for World Localization Day where every product served will have been produced locally. We look forward to sharing the great potential local foods provide and hopefully encouraging more to engage in this kaupapa. For us at Left Bank though, every day is an important one, and we invite you to come and share these values with us.
Thankfully, we are not alone in our values; Michael Shuman said in 2000 “Going local does not mean walling off the outside world. It means nurturing locally owned businesses which use local resources sustainably, employ local workers at decent wages and serve primarily local consumers. It means becoming more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports. Control moves from the boardrooms of distant corporations and back into the community where it belongs.”