Illinois Governor, Pat Quinn, is talking up a new law that could pass in his state which would give state agencies the option of paying up to 10 percent above the lowest price in order to buy their food local. This could help remove one of the biggest obstacles to small organic farmers who want to sell to schools, hospitals, and other state-run institutions. Most state agencies have to ask for bids on any contract (like a new building, or providing food) and they are obligated to go with the lowest price available. But since (in what I’ve always thought is one of life’s crueler ironies) producing food locally and without chemicals or genetic modifications is actually more expensive than dunking food in pesticides and shipping it halfway around the world, it’s tough for a local, organic farm to sell at the lowest price. The reasoning behind the potential law is that the ability to buy locally, while it might cost a little more, would keep the money in the state. I always like it when I hear these ultra-rational reasons for buying local or organic food. Sure it’s better for you, sure it’s more ethical to support local farmers, but those are self-centered reasons, largely dependent on my own opinions. It’s good to remember that our food choices are connected to larger structures, and that making positive food choices can have positive results in the larger world that may not even be directly related to food.
