The Santa Rosa Press Democrat noted in a story today that the Sonoma County Meat Buying Club, launched by UC Cooperative Extension early this year, is helping local residents interested in purchasing mainly local food.
The meat buying club supplies members with an assortment of local beef, pork and lamb in manageable monthly shipments of 7, 15 or 25 pounds.
“This way, people can have the local meat, but they don’t have to buy a whole lot of it,” the newspaper quoted UCCE livestock advisor Stephanie Larsen.
The story centered on a relatively new food movement, in which adherents are called "locavores." Many grow their own produce and, by definition, purchase food produced within a 100-mile radius, even if it costs more.
Reasons cited in the article to be a "locavore" are:
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Better flavor
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Preserve the open space of small family farms
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Avoid the environmental costs of long-distance shipping