Why local produce is the best choice for meal delivery kits.
If you’ve ever been to a farmers’ market, you already know that there’s a difference between locally produced food and food that has been shipped across the country over several days or weeks. The local farmers who frequent these markets offer foods from their own crops that are certified organic and wildly tasty!
When ordering from a meal delivery service, it’s always best to choose those that create meal kits using fresh, local food. At first glance, it might not seem like such a big deal, however, there are several reasons why you need to know if the kits you’re ordering use locally produced food products.
The Ingredients are Fresh
Whether you’re cooking a lavish meal or simply having a snack, fresh food is always the best choice. Using a meal delivery service that features locally grown produce will ensure any meal you make will be as fresh as possible. Local produce doesn’t need to travel as far or for as long, meaning it goes from farm to your table much more quickly.
Higher Nutrient Value
Fruits and vegetables are full of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, but these nutrients denigrate over time. Meal delivery services that obtain their produce from local farms are able to reduce their travel time, so the nutrient level is higher when these foods reach your home. By having fresh food available, it’ll be easier to meet your daily nutritional needs.
Better Tasting Produce
When fruits and vegetables are picked by farms that will be shipping them to retail stores, they must be harvested early so they don’t go bad by the time they reach their destination. This means their level of ripeness is often unknown, thereby affecting their flavor. Local produce is harvested at the peak of ripeness which ensures that they always taste delicious.
Support the Local Economy
As we were often told throughout 2020 and even into this year, “we’re all in this together.” Although this indicates banding together in a country-wide sense and even a global one, it’s also important to remember that you are part of a local community. By purchasing locally produced food, you’re spending that money on local farmers and allowing funds to be reinvested into nearby businesses and services.
Better for the Environment
There’s a big push across the country to make decisions that are better for the environment. The biggest environmental advantage of buying local foods is that you’ll be helping maintain farmland and open spaces within your community. Another great advantage is that vehicles used to haul produce and other foods won’t burn nearly as many fossil fuels getting the supplies to your grocery store or door.
Safer Food Supply Train
As food is transferred from one location to the next, the chances of it becoming contaminated increases. Although washing down fruits, vegetables, and other food items will help keep you safe, there’s still a risk involved. With the use of local foods, you have less chance for potential contamination due to fewer stops from the source to your door.
Seasonal Ingredients
It would be great if all our favorite fruits were available all year round, but that’s simply not the case. Meal delivery services keep track of which items are seasonal and then offer meals reflecting that. The best part is that you can always be sure that these seasonal favorites are fresh and full of flavor, which makes meal kits even better.
Know Where Your Food is Coming From
If you were to walk into a grocery store and ask an employee about the history of a particular fruit or vegetable, they probably wouldn’t know much about it. The origin and route of locally produced food is much easier to track because there are fewer middlemen involved. You can even find out how certain crops were raised and harvested by asking the local farmers or meal delivery personnel directly.
More Power to Consumers
It can often seem that consumers are at the mercy of large corporations. This is true with many facets of our lives such as the costs of technology and services, gas prices, rent increases, and many other things we want or need. With food, however, you have plenty of choices. By selecting locally produced food products, you’re taking the power from the conglomerates and putting it squarely in your hands.
Contact Chef Ami for Meal Kits Delivered Right to Your Door
Chef Ami provides fresh meal kits in Tampa and the surrounding areas that give full control over what you eat, save you money from takeout options, and deliver quality every time. The only ingredients that you need to make a fantastic meal are salt, pepper, and olive oil! If you have any questions about the locally produced food that we use or our delivery services, give us a call at (813) 773-4719 today.
