Campbell‘s Nutrition, located in Des Moines, Iowa, is the area‘s premier natural foods store. Campbell‘s, a locally owned business, has been helping Iowans journey down the path to better health for almost 80 years. With three locations throughout Des Moines, it comes naturally that Campbell‘s Nutrition would position itself as a leader in promoting locally grown foods.

Why the trend towards locally grown produce and other local products? One driving factor is increased environmental awareness. Just think about how far a bag of Chilean grapes has to travel before it arrives at your table. Semi-trucks, planes and ships are used during the transportation process, releasing huge amounts of carbon into the air and contibuting to pollution and global warming.

While we tend to think of organic food as the best choice for the environment, this isn‘t always the case. In fact, studies have shown that eating locally produced food is actually superior to organic food that must be transported from afar. The average food item consumed in America has traveled 1,500 miles to arrive on the plate-- burning fossil fuels all along the way. Organic foods are no different, and can sometimes be worse! Because things like organic grapes are only grown in certain parts of the world during certain times of the year, these items have to travel even farther.

Local economies is another factor in the push towards locally produced goods. The proliferation of superstores and big box retailers has only served to promote large-scale farming while all but wiping out the small, niche farmer. This doesn‘t just hurt the farmer and his (or her) family- a British study tracked how much of the money spent at on local food at a locally owned business stayed in the community and was reinvested in the local economy. The total impact of one dollar was almost twice the impact of a dollar spent in a chain grocery store on traditional products.

There are plenty of other reasons to eat local. Simply knowing where your food is produced connects you to your local environment in a way often lacking in today‘s fast food world. How many of our children connect an apple with an apple orchard or milk with a cow on a dairy farm? Health is another aspect; few would argue that a tomato loses alot when it spends days in the back of a a refridgerated truck. The tomato doesn‘t just lose it‘s taste-- nutrients are most potent when a fruit or vegetable is freshly picked, so for every day produce spends in transit, it‘s losing some of it‘s nutrients.

If you‘ve never thought about eating locally produced foods, now is a great time to start. Campbell‘s has never had a better selection of locally grown produce, locally produced dairy and breads, and a variety of other local items. We are committed to promoting the benefits of a local lifestyle, so stop in today to check out our selection!

Coming soon: More information, profiles and pictures of the local farmers we support.