Where Does Food Come From?

You know how it is, you get busy and things pile up. I am finally trying to get through my pile of magazines. I only get a few, but they always seem to come faster than I can read them. Last night I started the October issues and read an article in Body + Soul magazine called "Where Does Our Food Come From?". It investigates not only where food comes from but also about food safety and what you can do to protect your health.


To paraphrase one farmer they interviewed: "When it comes to food safety, one of the most important things is ... knowing where your food comes from." The first tip the author gives as a way to protect ourselves is: Eat local, seasonal and organic. Makes sense to me!

I highly recommend seeking out a copy of this article. I don't think it's available online from Body + Soul just yet, but keep an eye out for it. I certainly learned a lot!

Here are some "fun facts" from the article:

• 20% of our bell peppers arrive from other countries, including Mexico. The other top suppliers are Canada and the Netherlands who use large-scale greenhouses.Florida and California supply the bulk of the US demand for tomatoes, but 39% come from countries like Canada and Mexico.
• The US imports 73% of its fresh market garlic from China.
• From December to April, America relies almost completely on countries like Mexico and Cental America for cantaloupes.