Green Tips

Buying Local

By buying from your local farmer's markets and producers you cut down on energy costs in transporting food, you support the local economy, and have better control over the food you eat. In fact, many of the local farmers farm organically but, due to the cost of getting certified and all the red tape, simply can't afford to put that seal on their package.

Much of the organic industry is governed by the big agriculture companies, which is why a food can have additives and preservatives and still be labeled organic. In fact the term organic is owned by the government, so a smaller producer who can't afford all the fees and time it takes to deal with the government can't call themselves organic. We had one product that was made entirely with organic ingredients, but the label didn't state the cookies were organic.

Another time as I was about to buy some "organic" sorbet from the Big Organic Chain Store, I read the ingredients and was aghast at some of the preservatives that were in there. Lesson learned: read your ingredients.

Our policy at Fancifull is to buy all we can from the local farmer's markets and to find as many local sources for quality products as possible. As a result we have found a few new chocolate makers from California as well as some great cheeses, wines and nuts. We still demand fantastic flavors (being local or organic isn't enough by itself). You wouldn't want it any other way.