If you’re taking part in the month-long Eat Local Challenge that kicks off this week, you’ve likely come to terms with the idea of spending a bit more on your grocery bill. The reality is, locally raised, farm-fresh foods often cost more than commodity equivalents.
That’s not true in all cases. The last batch of Ponchatoula strawberries I bought at my local grocery was cheaper than the berries that crossed the country from California.
The difference, though, can be stark when it comes to meat. A local grocery chain spokeswoman told me this week that much of the commodity pork you’ll find wrapped in plastic on supermarket shelves comes from big producers in Iowa.
New York Times food guru Mark Bittman takes a look at the price difference in his Flexitarian column this week. He argues that it’s worth paying more.
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