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Why Buy Local: How Your Food Choices Impact Your Community
Where does your food come from?
More and more Canadians (86%) report seeking locally grown produce and foods. This growing interest is great news for local families, growers, communities, and the environment. Buying local food:
- Helps create a living for local farmers
- Provides families with fresh, often more nutrient-dense foods
- Keeps money in your local economy
- Has far-reaching environmental and waste management benefits
Let’s explore the Buy Local movement together. We’ll discover the economic, environmental, and community benefits of buying local food and how small choices can make a big impact.
What Does “Buying Local” Really Mean?
Buy Local is a movement to purchase goods and services from independent and locally owned businesses within your community, town, or region, rather than national chains or large corporations. It aims to keep money circulating within your community and among local families, rather than to large, often faceless corporations.
Many terms are used to describe buying locally:
- Local Food – This refers to food grown or raised locally (by geography). The CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) defines “local” as food produced within the same province/territory where it’s sold, or within 50km of that province’s border.
- Local Business – This is a business owned by someone who lives in the same community or region as the business. It refers to ownership only. Being a “local business” doesn’t guarantee that its products are local or Canadian.
- Canadian-Made – This refers to products manufactured or produced in Canada. To use the term “Product of Canada” on a product label, at least 98% of the total direct costs of producing or manufacturing the goods have occurred in Canada. To use the term “Made in Canada,” the product must be at least 51% produced or manufactured in Canada, among other requirements.
What Are The Benefits Of Buying Local?
Eight in 10 Canadians (79 per cent) agree that supporting local businesses feels more important in 2025 than it did the previous year. Here are a few more reasons and benefits to buy local:
Economy
It’s no surprise that spending money with local growers adds direct fuel to the local economy; those growers buy supplies and pay bills locally. One BC-based report found that when you support local businesses, up to 63% of revenue stays within BC, compared with 14% when you buy from multinational companies.
When you shop local, you support local job growth and build stronger economic communities.
It may seem like a small thing, but its impact will be felt.
Social Impact
One of the most satisfying parts of buying locally-grown food is knowing that you’re contributing to your community. Ultimately, the people who are responsible for bringing local food to our tables are innovators, entrepreneurs, parents and family members.
Supporting local growers has a wide-reaching social impact, including:
- Creating living classroom opportunities, where local children can come to learn about nutrition and increase their food literacy
- Helping to preserve local farmland and local farming skills
- Promoting community socialization through the social multiplier effect (farmers’ markets and shops serve as a third social place to gather, in addition to work and home)
- Introducing specialty and heirloom varieties that aren’t economical or ideal for shipping from other countries by multinational grocers.
For every $100 spent with a BC local business, $63 is re-circulated into our BC economy (versus $14 for multinational corporations).
Source: Buy BC
Environmental
When you shop at the grocery store, many of the food items you buy travel over thousands of miles to reach your plate. Buying food from local growers and producers significantly reduces the carbon footprint associated with importing products from overseas via plane travel or long truck trips. This means fuel consumption and air pollution are minimized.
You can further reduce your food’s environmental impact by choosing:
- Potatoes, carrots, and onions: These hardy crops can be grown in many regions, so they rarely require air freight.
- In-season fruit and vegetables: Ask your local growers what produce is in season now.
- Pulses (lentils and beans): These tasty kitchen staples have a small carbon footprint and can be shelf-stable for years. They can also be purchased in bulk using reusable containers to reduce packaging waste.
- Leafy greens: Look for ones that are field-grown rather than hydroponic. This reduces electricity use for indoor lighting on farms.
At Fresh Prep, we take environmental preservation a step further. Our meal delivery service contributes to a sustainable circular economy by using reusable or recyclable containers to minimize landfill waste.
Nationwide chains may employ community members and pay local taxes, however only about 15% of the revenue they earn stays in the area. In comparison, 45% of revenue earned by small, locally-owned businesses stays in the community.
Health
Eating food soon after it’s harvested often yields more nutrient-dense produce because it’s harvested closer to peak ripeness. Additionally, fewer chemicals are required to preserve food during transport. This peak freshness also depends on proper storage after harvest and timely sale.
For example, broccoli can lose up to 50% of its vitamin C when shipped long-haul. Tomatoes ripened on the vine have higher levels of lycopene and Vitamin C compared to those ripened using ethylene gas in shipping containers.This is yet another reason why buying local produce is a smart choice.
Regional Food Security
When there are shipping or supply chain challenges (such as those experienced during natural disasters and global health crises), importing food can be difficult or impossible. Building a strong local grower community can help improve resilience during such disruptions.
Diversifying local food sourcing helps improve food security in your community.
Waste Reduction
Food waste is a big problem. It’s estimated that over 46% of all food produced (about 21 million metric tonnes) is wasted. Buying local produce reduces food waste. Here’s how:
- You can buy imperfect produce (or produce “seconds”), often at a discount, helping keep this edible but “ugly” produce out of the landfill and learn creative and nutrition ways to use the entire produce item.
- Local produce requires less packaging. For example, imported berries are transported in plastic clamshell packaging to protect them during shipping.
- Produce is often wrapped in plastic to prevent moisture loss during long-haul transport. Locally-grown products don’t require this extra protection.
- Local produce is less likely to rot before it reaches its final destination, reducing food waste from spoilage, which could be up to 25-30% of a shipment or harvest.
You can further increase food security and decrease waste by:
- Purchasing produce in-season and freezing or dehydrating it for use later in the year.
- Freezing cooked leftovers you don’t plan to eat right away.
- Purchasing meal kits that include pre-portioned ingredients and sustainable packaging (like Fresh Prep).
How To Buy Local
Do you want to support local farmers and growers in your community? Here are a few ways to get started:
- Be mindful of where you shop (choose farmers’ markets, community-supported agriculture, local grocery shops, co-ops, and local meal kits).
- Look for local identifiers (check the label or ask about province of origin and the specific farm or producer name).
- Ask questions (ask the shop owner about where the food was grown/raised, who produced it, and when it was harvested).
- Prioritize local, seasonal choices (stock up on seasonal produce at peak freshness and freeze or dehydrate it for the off-season).
How To Verify Claims
Many Canadians use product labels as the “primary determinant of whether a product is locally sourced,” with only half saying they rely on retailers’ signage to verify locality. However, some producers or grocers use vague or inaccurate marketing claims to make their product seem more local or Canadian.
To ensure their authenticity, understand how to read product labels and know what credible proof looks like.
Here are a few red flags that may indicate false or inaccurate claims:
- Local claims on out-of-season produce
- Generic signage (i.e., “Locally Harvested” or “Farmer’s Choice” without mentioning a specific farm or city)
- Produce in a box with a US or Mexico label, with a handwritten “local” sign on it
- Check the four-digit PLU produce sticker (if it doesn’t include “Canada” or your province name, it’s likely imported).
Any reputable farm market would be happy to discuss the origin of their produce with you. If you are unsure, look for or ask about:
- Product of Canada Logo
- A regulated logo like “BuyBC” on the label
- Verify the farm name and ask about their farming practices and traceability of their products.
How Fresh Prep makes buying local easier
With Fresh Prep, you don’t have to choose between delicious, convenient meals and the health of our planet. We make buying and supporting local growers and farmers easier:
- We create meaningful partnerships with local growers and do our due diligence to verify their authenticity and claims.
- We partner with local food recovery organizations like Vancouver Food Runners and Peko Produce to reduce food waste.
- Our 35+ chef-inspired weekly meals use in-season produce sourced from regional suppliers whenever possible.
Learn more about our commitment to sustainability and local impact.
Why Buy Local: Small Choices, Real Impact
Making a conscious choice to purchase local produce over imported produce benefits local families, your local economy, and is better for the environment. Every local food choice you make today adds up over time.
You can learn more about the impact of shopping locally for your food at https://www.locobc.ca/cpages/resources
We encourage you to make local food part of your weekly meal planning and shopping routine, and thankfully, that doesn’t have to mean sacrificing taste. Fresh Prep meal kits and ready-to-eat meals include fresh, locally sourced, and in-season ingredients as much as possible. Everything is prepared locally and portioned to help you cook faster and with less food waste.
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