Are you interested in helping us to grow a vibrant food culture and economy in the Illawarra? Join our ‘Love Local’ campaign!
Our ‘Love Local’ campaign calls on local food retailers to adopt our ‘I’m Local’ labels in their stores to help consumers identify locally grown or produced products more easily while they shop.
Our ‘Love Local’ campaign has already been adopted by the Port Grocer in Port Kembla, The IGA in Thirroul, and the Flame Tree Community Food Coop in Thirroul. We look forward to rolling it out to as many food retailers in the Illawarra as possible.
How can you support our Love local campaign?
- Buy Local – head to one of the first ‘Love Local’ retailers to see our fantastic ‘I’m local’ labels for yourself and purchase some of the local items on offer.
- Spread the word – share this story with your online networks and get your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues in the know.
- Get your retailer involved – chat or write to your local retailer asking them to get involved – download template to get you started.
Why is it important to grow a local food culture and economy?
Economical Benefits
Natural disasters and Covid-19 have caused a severe downturn in the economy. Advocating for a local food system will help this issue by keeping profits from food in local farmers’ pockets, rather than transferring revenue internationally. Additionally, having a local food system creates jobs locally which boosts the economy and leads to improved socioeconomic status in surrounding areas.
Reducing Environmental Burden
Local food systems have numerous benefits including reduced ‘food miles’, which consequently diminish the impact of your carbon footprint. Finite resources such as fossil fuels from trucks and planes are then salvaged. If you would like to learn more about how far your food has traveled check out this food miles calculator.
Creating stable food systems
It is more apparent than ever that due to severe droughts, bushfires and climate change emergencies, local farmers must be supported to ensure the viability of their farms into the future. If each local community further integrates local suppliers into their food system, than the end benefit is a more stable food system because we are less reliant on a sole supplier.
Nutritional Benefits
On a nutritional note, there are known benefits of consuming food soon after harvest for higher nutritional content and thus enhancing community health. Locally produced foods tend to use fewer preservatives and chemicals during their growing and/or production. Generally they need less processing as they aren’t travelling long distances.