That’s because it’s a word created by a local farmer, Bryan Hager, to describe a person who eats food grown locally.
His group, West Georgia Locavore, will hold its first month-long event, titled “The West Georgia Locavore Challenge,” to get people thinking about what they eat and how they can eat more locally grown food.
The group will hold a kickoff event from 4-6 p.m. Sunday at The Amp, Carrollton’s new downtown amphitheater on Bradley Street.
“The event is free and there will be lots of free food samples,” Hager said. “Growers will also have food there for sale.”
He said it will be an opportunity for people to network on finding local food sources and swapping recipes.
“We can grow a lot of food here locally and we want people to explore that option,” Hager said. “You get fresher food and you help the economy by buying locally.”
He said the goal of the monthlong campaign is to create a fun adventure which will start people eating something locally every day.
“Our target is to eat 90 percent local food, which is harder to do than it sounds like,” he said. “We’re doing this campaign in the peak of the summer market season when people can get a lot of local produce. It promotes buying from farmers you know or at local farmers markets.”
Hager said the campaign also ties in well with Tanner Health System’s “Get Healthy West Georgia” program.
“We want you think about where your food comes from, what nutrients are in it and how much salt and sugar it has,” he said. “We’re all trying to work together to promote our economy and help people be happy and healthy.”
Hager said defining local food is a complicated issue, but the locavore group has guidelines for determining what is local.
“Local food is grown within 100 miles of where it’s eaten,” according to the Locavores website. “Regional food is grown within 250 miles of where it’s eaten.”
Participating Sunday will be several local growers and food producers, including the Capra Gia Cheese Company, Farmer’s Fresh deli chefs Bernie Wong and Sebastienne Gerhardt-Grant, Gum Creek Farms, Udderly Cool Dairy, Crager Hager Farms and others, as well as local restaurants, that will provide free samples and offer area residents an opportunity to purchase locally grown produce and prepared foods.
Hager offered a list of reasons why eating local food is better:
• Locally grown food tastes better, it’s picked within the last 48 hours or less, compared to industrial food that travels an average 1,300 miles to get to your table;
• Local food is better for you because the fresher it is, the more nutritious it is;
• Local food promotes genetic diversity, since growing a variety of crops reduces potential for disease and pests;
• Local food supports local families, while industrial food supports large agri-business;
• and local food builds communities, such as farmers markets, where friends can meet, and it allows farmers to have relationships with their customers.
More information on West Georgia Locavore is available online at www.westgalocavore.com. The group also has a Facebook page, which can be accessed from the website.
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