At Family Fare, we are proud to support Iowa businesses by offering locally and regionally grown fruits and vegetables, meats, and other products throughout our stores.
Benefits of Locally Grown:
Locally grown food is full of flavor. When grown locally, the crops are picked at their peak of ripeness versus being harvested early in order to be shipped and distributed to your local retail store. Many times produce at local markets has been picked within 24 hours of your purchase.
Eating local food is eating seasonally. Even though we wish strawberries were grown year round in Minnesota, the best time to eat them is when they can be purchased directly from a local grower. They are full of flavor and taste better than the ones available in the winter that have traveled thousands of miles and picked before they were ripe.
Local food has more nutrients. Local food has a shorter time between harvest and your table, and it is less likely that the nutrient value has decreased. Food imported from far-away states and countries is often older, has traveled and sits in distribution centers before it gets to your store.
Local food supports the local economy. The money that is spent with local farmers and growers all stays close to home and is reinvested with businesses and services in your community.
Local food benefits the environment. By purchasing locally grown foods you help maintain farmland and green and/or open space in your community.
Local foods promote a safer food supply. The more steps there are between you and your food’s source the more chances there are for contamination. Food grown in distant locations has the potential for food safety issues at harvesting, washing, shipping and distribution.
“Benefits of Locally Grown” courtesy of Michigan State University MSU Extension. | Local Business Partners map does not represent all vendors carried by Family Fare and icon placement is approximate
Find out more about our local business partners by selecting locations in the map below: