Lately, there’s been buzz about food miles. Maybe some one you know read that book about the couple on the 100-mile diet. Maybe you heard about it on the evening news. But what does it mean, and why should you care?

Food miles are the miles your food travels from the farm to your plate. The next time you peel a sticker off of a piece of fruit before you eat it, take a look at where it came from. According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service:

Produce in the U.S. travels, on average, 1300 - 2000 miles from farm to consumer. Since 1970, truck shipping has dramatically increased, replacing more energy efficient transportation by rail and water.

About 90% of food transport in the U.S. is by truck. And if you’ve ever gotten stuck driving behind a truck with your windows down, you can easily imagine what kind of emissions are going on when a truck takes a load of apples across the country. If you buy an apple that was grown at a farm one town over, it will have traveled ten to twenty miles, and used much less energy to get to you, so buying local significantly cuts down on your food miles. But the benefits to buying local aren’t just about reducing the use of fossil fuels. An apple that was picked two days ago from that farm down the road is going to taste a lot better than one that’s been bouncing around in a truck for 2,000 miles. And supporting local farmers is good for the local economy and community. Not sure where to go to buy local? Many grocery stores make an effort to stock produce from local farmers, so ask the next time you’re shopping. Better yet, check Local Harvest for farm stores and markets near you.