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should we consider food from British Columbia to be "Local?"

I know there is no official definition of "local food." Local is in the eye of the beholder. So how about it Seattle? Should we consider produce from BC to be "local?" I'm inclined to say yes, food grown in the Lower Mainland of BC may well have traveled less than 110 miles to get from Canadian farms to Seattle plates, so what if there's an arbitrary line called a border in between?

I consider potatoes from Grant County, Washington to be "local" and they travel about 180 miles across the Cascades. So is my definition of "Local" screwed up across the board? Enlighten me.

Should BC produce be considered "Local" in Seattle?

soundslikepuget asked in Other-Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report

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  • Doggie_small
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    Southern BC is clearly in the same bioregion as Seattle and Portland - witness the flora, fauna, native art and pre-European history. That makes it "local" by some definitions. There are no rules defining what is "local." Where customs is not an obstacle, BC products can be a good choice. For example, I love a coffee roaster called Oso Negro in Nelson BC for their community impact (and flavor).

    My preference would be to buy from farmers and producers that I know, trust and want to support. Most of them are in or near Seattle, but there are exceptions and that's OK.

    Although it's best to buy "mostly local," I also like the concept of supporting some artisan, sustainable foods that are community based, but not local to us. An example might be a Basque sheep cheese that has been supporting a local community for generations. Check out Rooted Foods for more on this idea.

    bambino answered in Other-Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report
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  • Avatar_default
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    I'd say in most people's definition, so long as the spot in BC fits into your own personal "local" radius, it should count as local.

    Now there's some who would argue most store-bought food isn't really local because even though it may have been grown somewhat locally, it has to travel a great deal as it goes through processing and packaging and warehousing and all that. I think this is going to apply to pretty much all Canadian foodstuffs you see here-- it's not really practical (or possibly even not legal) for Canadian farmers to ply their wares directly to coop-style grocery stores or farmer's markets in Seattle the way farmers in Eastern Washington can.

    Jack answered in Other-Food & Drink about 1 year ago | Report
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