At the beginning of last year, many Americans feared food and supply shortages. Photos of empty grocery shelves and mountains of toilet paper were shared all over the Internet and news media, further stoking fears of poverty and lack during a time of crisis.
We heard jokes about how toilet paper and backyard chickens were the new currency, and underneath this humor was a growing fear. Fear of running out, fear of hungry bellies, fear of what most of us take for granted when we tuck in to a meal 3 or more times a day. Fear of uncertainty and suffering.
The upside of the temporary grocery shortages last year was an opportunity to shine a light on the weaknesses of our food delivery systems. Supporting local food growers and product makers is a sensible path forward to make strong and sufficient local communities, but it’s not always convenient to support local.
Food Shortages
The food in our grocery stores often travels significant distances, often across the Rio Grande or on enormous barges from Europe and the far East. An estimated 60 percent of fresh fruits and 80 percent of seafood is imported internationally in the U.S.A. Distant travel is also common for fresh food grown in the U.S.A., albeit an opposite shore from many of the consumers.
I’m guilty of buying (imported) fresh raspberries in January, and it’s not until starting my own garden that I learned about the seasonal nature of food and farming. Plants (and animals) simply don’t produce on demand. We can coax nature, but we are ultimately limited by our region, soil, weather, water, budget, and proximity of farms.
Limits aside, the average home-cooked meal in the U.S.A. has ingredients that took 1500 miles of transport to get to the dinner plate. That’s kind of astounding in terms of resources used because people ate well before refrigerated trucks and preservatives were ubiquitous.
Food is shipped to our communities (domestic and international) because:
Densely populated areas don’t have enough farmers or farmland to supply their local communities
High consumer demand for out-of-season food
Over-ripening isn’t as big of a concern with early picking and GMO interference
It’s cheaper for mega-food corporations to mass produce in one area and ship outward (they undercut local farmers)
What does this have to do with food shortages?
The sprawling, inefficient food system contributes to food shortages because too many communities have grown to rely on food that travels long distances out of convenience and lower cost. When bad weather strikes, like we saw in Texas last winter, the nationwide and global dependencies for chicken were affected. Texas processes and packages most of the nation’s chicken. When Texas was out of power, the price of chicken everywhere in America was up. A winter storm in Texas shouldn’t make my chicken dinner cost more, but it did. Idahoans are capable of growing our own chicken, thank you very much.
Cyber attacks are becoming more of an issue in food delivery as well. This year, JBS SA, a meat producer responsible for 25% of pork and 20% of beef in American grocery stores was hacked, and their crisis translated into meat shortages and a 25-30% price increase for beef, pork, chicken, and hot dogs in our supermarkets.
Whether it’s winter storms or cyber attacks, our food systems are fragile. Grocery stores run on a 3 day inventory. In the event of a panic or emergency, the inventory can be depleted in a matter of hours, as we saw at the beginning of the COVID crisis. Meat, dairy, flour, rice, beans, pasta, paper products, and other household essentials were flying off the shelves at lightning speed. Most markets don’t have much food storage in their attached warehouses, and it only takes one moment of panic for a community to deplete the stock.
Local Resilience
Our organic, grass-fed, local Idaho beef. Take a tour!
A centralized system means a near single point of failure. One winter storm, one hack, or one bad season for farmers could (and did) affect the whole nation and cause food shortages. Shifting to a local food system is a move toward independence and self-reliance of our communities.
Supporting a local food system doesn’t mean eating only food growing in your community or even region. It means starting with what is fresh and readily available in your area, and building your meals out from there. Farmer’s markets, backyard gardens, co-ops, CSAs, local beef, and U-Pick-Its during the growing season are all wonderful starting points with plenty of convenience.
Beautiful view of our farm.
We hope we never face food shortages or supply crises, but instead of hoping, we can use our dollars to vote for a more local, secure future. Supporting local farms is the first step to creating a sustainable food system for Idaho. Join us!
Consider taking the Weston A. Price Foundation’s 50% Pledge: Pledge to spend 50% of your food dollars from local farmers and artisans in your area, and use your remaining budget to enjoy foods from other parts of the world.
In Emmett, we live in the “Valley of Plenty”, and it’s truly a gift. Take advantage and get local food!