What you can do
You can make a difference!
Make a statement with your food dollars. Where you shop and what you purchase is an excellent way to influence poli-cies that determine how our food is produced.
- Whenever possible, buy food from the source. The growth of farmstands, farmers markets, CSAs and buying clubs has made access to fresh produce, dairy products, meats and baked goods for everyone. http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
http://www.eatwellguide.org - Ask your local grocers to carry products from local farms.
- Talk to restaurant owners and chefs about local foods, and encourage them to source their ingredients locally.
- Work with your town’s school lunch program to encourage them to purchase ingredients from local farms: http://www.farmtoschool.org
- Encourage local health care providers to teach their patients about the value of eating local, nutrient-dense foods.
- Get to know your local farmers, and encourage them to educate their consumers as well.
Educate yourself, your friends and your family. There are many excellent sources of information about food freedom, local foods, and food policy.
- The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund defends the rights and broadens the freedoms of family farms and protects consumer access to raw milk and nutrient dense foods.
- The Weston A Price Foundation is dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism.
- National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association promotes and preserves unregulated direct farmer-to-consumer trade that fosters availability of locally grown or home-produced food products.
- The Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance works to save family farms and individuals from expensive and unnecessary government regulation.
- The Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) is a membership organization of more than 5,000 farmers, gardeners and consumers working to promote health food, organic farming practices and a cleaner environment.
- The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is an alliance of grassroots organizations that advocates for federal policy reform to advance the sustainability of agriculture, food sys-tems, natural resources, and rural communities.
Let your federal, state and local representatives know that their positions on agriculture and food issues matter to you. Remind them that policies that support small family farms are good for the economy, the environment, and for everyone’s health.
