Foodzie: Supporting Local Food Movement or Feeding Off a Trend?

ha!

I think this was a good concept - although you are exactly right; this totally defeats the whole point of the 'eating local' idea. It should be more of a database of where to find locally grown food and farmers near where you live - not how to purchase something form halfway around the world.

In some cases, if food is grown in sustainable ways outside of your local region, it's still worth buying in lieu of food not sustainably grown but from your local region.

Anthony Nicalo of Farmstead Wines talks about being a locavore and wine importer and why that contradiction can be ok.

He also reminds us of a quote from James MacKinnon, co-author of the 100-Mile Diet: "as far as I’m aware, no one in the local foods movement is suggesting that we all need to get all of our food from our local food systems: trade has always been a part of human culture. It’s a question of balance. Over the past few decades we’ve swung toward getting most of our food from increasingly distant sources, and as a result we’re eating worse food at a higher environmental and social cost, and have also lost a critical connection to the landscapes and communities we live in. Local eating is about correcting that imbalance - we eat first and foremost from the places we live in, and then look outward for certain fairly traded, environmentally sustainable goodies."

This seems like a strange idea, although I like Amy's idea of a database that would make it easier for people to find resources for local food, markets, etc. (Perhaps users could signup and get an e-mail when certain foods were about to be in season and available at their local farmers' markets, etc.)

Another service that might be interesting, is if someone offered a website where people going on vacation could offer to bring back foods from the areas they were visiting so that others could try them (presumably at cost or for barter) when they returned.

I have happy memories bringing back food from vacation in New Orleans to friends in the NYC metro area when I lived up there, as well as neighbors coming back from seeing family in Hawaii who used to bring us some treats from there to sample. It was a nice way to share information about other regions beyond the usual photos.

There's something indefinably incompatible, IMHO, about the venerable old farmer's market living in the digital domain ...

If it needs to be airlifted to you, then it isn't local. I like the idea of a sort of Match.com for food-growers and food-consumers, though.

The idea of online and local are not incompatible.  Sometimes regulations permit selling of a product on line or at the farm gate but not any where else.  The current Small Farmer Magazine has an article on a group of Ontario livestock producers who use internet direct to consumers sales.  The meat that they market meets all regulations but they are only allowed to sell it at the farmgate or over the net.  So the product is sold and paid for over the net and only delivered to the customers weekly in the Toronto area. Still local. 

I'd agree that the first paragraph in the NYtimes article frames the site in a silly light, and there were a couple of curious quotes in there by one of the founders ("Buyers are really supporting the local economy.."), but I'd say the basic premise behind the site makes a good amount of sense to me. It clearly doesn't encourage local consumption, but it does very much encourage small growers, which still benefits local foods. Look at it like this, if the small farmer down the street from me is able to be financially stable by having a portion of her sales come over the internet, then that means she'll still be around for me to buy stuff from a year from now. And even if they're shipping cross-country, they're not running into anywhere near the same ecological footprint as most things you'd get at the supermarket.

Folks we have to ask ourselves how concerned these young people are with the local producer when they're taking 20 -25 percent of each sale. That its less than the 30-45 percent that the distributors takes is of no consequence. I think greenwashing is a good term. Ebay charges 8.75 percent and these people are going to take 20 because its lower than fifty. How about offering some real value added services like hands on SEO work and at a lower percentage. They're fleecing the little man. More fleecing of the small manufacturer is not what this country needs.

I will travel long distances to purchase the freshest and best products that I can find. The relationship with the vendors/growers, support of the community and passion for food is what drives me in my search for local markets. However there are items found at local markets where online relationships could be established. I shop in local markets in Italy, Switzerland and France. For example shipping honey, candy, dried meats, preserved foods, candles or any other nonperishable items not affected by time can be bought on-line. It adds to your ability to prepare dishes that add interest and authenticity to your recipes. It is support for small businesses that are devoted to artisan and family productions. Of course this eliminates many items (fruits & vegetables), but not all. For example, I bought a variety of popcorns from a farm in the mid-west, USA to be shipped to my grandchildren in the North East for Valentines Day one year. They loved the gift and enjoyed many different types of popcorn they never knew existed. Living in Switzerland this is a big advantage as I know that I can buy natural products and still support local farmers even from long distances. 

I live in a wine growing region and have met vintners at the wine market in Zürich and in France where I have bought wines. They store it for me and I send them an email to ship it to me whenever I need it. If you don't have good wine storage this is a good option. I have had relationships and have done business directly with them for years.

The issue is support of local markets and producers devoted to family traditions/recipes and natural production wherever it might be. There is nothing like a local market and the interaction with the people - on-line is second best but it is an option, (read my article about "Il Mercato").

Long comment, but I'm passionate about this subject.

Foodzie's marketing philosophy is a cynical contradiction in terms.

That's too bad, because the idea of being able to buy Californian pepperjack cheese if you live in Galena Illinois is an appealing one in itself, but this company's methods of finding business are tantamount to dishonest advertising, which is why I wouldn't order from them.

Thanks for the post.