Location isn’t just the key to finding great real estate. For ‘locavores,’ it determines what goes onto their plates each day.

Those apples in your grocery cart may have done more international traveling than you have this summer. Most Americans live within 60 miles of an apple orchard, yet the apples they buy have traveled, on average, more than 1,700 miles from the orchard, according to the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University.
Apples are just one example of jet-setting American produce, much of which travels nearly 2,000 miles from farm to plate, says the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. Some Valley residents believe this lengthy trip is detrimental because it expends fossil fuels and releases emissions that effect climate change. So, they’re turning to Arizona’s surprising cornucopia instead.
“I’m not the first to say it,” says Paul Symanski, a local foodie. “Our civilization has been eating oil, and that’s got to change.”
“Locavores” like Symanski eat primarily locally grown or produced foods. Exactly what “local” means varies. Symanski, who also keeps his own garden, looks for foods grown within 10 miles of his Mesa home. Chris Petrolakis, the regional produce coordinator for Whole Foods, says that during Arizona’s growing seasons, Whole Foods sells more than 60 different local products, from wine to watermelon.
Cutting back on food miles, or the distance that food travels, isn’t the only benefit to eating locally, proponents say. Petrolakis says the quality and freshness of local produce is tough to beat.
“Some of these products can literally be picked in the morning and on a dinner plate that evening,” he says.
Locavore Kristen Rasmussen says she eats locally to support the community’s economy and meet the growers. “When you get to know the people and their backgrounds, it makes you appreciate where the food comes from and how it’s grown,” she says.
Meanwhile, Symanski says he believes eating locally has improved his health. It’s a correlation some experts support. Christopher Wharton, an assistant professor of nutrition at ASU, says fresher produce may maintain more of its original nutrients, which can break down during transport.
“The other benefit is to introduce yourself to whole foods. We’re used to opening up and unwrapping our foods, not peeling and washing them,” Wharton says.
Petrolakis says people who want to “go local” can look for food labels and special sections in their supermarkets. They can also talk to produce staff, who can offer seasonal items and store delivery dates.
— Ashley M. Biggers