Fresh Food With Local Roots


Recent media reports suggest that Australians are beginning to heed nutritional advice on healthy eating. A recent report conducted by Euromonitor International brought the encouraging news that more of us are choosing fresh and organic produce instead of traditional cereals and convenience snack products. Yet with equally compelling headlines highlighting concerns around the sourcing of such foods – for example the recent frozen berry scandal- it seems like where you buy your fresh food is just as important as what you buy. The good news is that locally sourced flavoursome, fresh, nutritious fruit and vegetables are just a mouse click away with a range of bespoke home delivery services available across the country. One such Western Australia company, 'fruit and vegies r us', delivers locally produced goods right to the customers doors. With over 40 years experience in the growing and distribution of fruit and vegetables, businesses like this can offer a direct and affordable route to securing the cream of the local crop. Accessing produce at the peak of its life cycle is key to maximising the nutritional benefits on offer – here we look at why this is the case and how buying local can help achieve this.

Nurturing those nutrients

Consumers are increasingly realizing that not all natural produce is created equal! Supermarkets across the country may be piled high with apparently fresh produce but these mass produced stocks can’t compete with locally sourced fruit and vegetables. Studies have shown that a significant proportion of what’s sold in mainstream stores is relatively low in phytonutrients. These essential compounds are the key elements of fruit and vegetables which help guard against four modern day major conditions – cancer, cardio vascular disease, diabetes and dementia. Thankfully, locally produced organic goods have managed to retain these important components.

Slow to reach the shelves, supermarket produce simply cannot offer the levels of nutrients available in locally harvested fruit and vegies. The speed with which local crops reach our plates means consumers get to eat them when they are at their most nutritious. When produce is picked it no longer receives nutrients from the source plant. Therefore the longer the delay between harvesting and eating, the lower the nutritional value of the product. Foods which are transported from miles away inevitably suffer a delay in reaching the consumer. Fresh peas are a good example of this. They lose at least 50% of their nutrients within seven days of being picked, so the faster they reach customers’ plates the more health benefits they can bring.

Pick a palate pleasing plate

Genuinely fresh produce quite simply tastes much better. Most consumers who have sampled fresh local food agree that these fruit and vegetables are more pleasing to the palate and this has led to a rise in demand for local outlets and farmers’ markets. The food miles endured by fruit and vegetables which travel a considerable distance do them no favours in the flavour department. Local growers however know exactly when to pick their products so that customers receive them at their best. Locally produced fresh goods also store better. Mass produced supermarket fruit and vegetables often spend the first few weeks of their life in a storage container, so when they reach the consumer they don’t last long. Locally sourced produce is genuinely fresh and stays that way much longer. This means the customer can safely buy in bulk and incorporate the fruit and vegetables into many different dishes. This makes local food delivery services an economical method of purchase which can make a major impact on the quantity of food being thrown out.

This is a freelance article by Helen Council.