Local produce can be healthier than its imported counterparts

There are many reasons people are opting to buy locally-produced fruits and vegetables. For Barbara Sinclair from Toronto, the main reason is nutrition. She says that the nutrition value that is lost when transporting fruits and vegetables is leading to poor health in the population.

A Harvard study of local produce confirms Barbara's views. Author Kathleen Firth writes that while it may depend on many factors whether imported or local produce is more nutritious, farmers that grow for local markets tend to grow more nutritious produce, while export producers favour varieties with characteristics that are favourable for travel.

Listen toCheckupguest host Susan McReynolds interview Sinclar on her buying local perspective.

Cross Country Checkup4:27March 20, 2016 - Barbara Sinclair

Barbara Sinclair from Toronto called Checkup to share her thoughts on the nutritional benefits of eating local.

On shopping local

When you buy a snowpeas orgreen peas from Peru or Guatemala, how long does it take? Does it fly first class from those country and arrive on your doorstep the next day? Once you harvest a vegetable it begins to lose its food value. If it has been sitting in a food terminal for days or weeks then it goes into the grocery store where it sits there again for days or maybe weeks, and then it goes into your fridge where it unfortunately sits for days or weeks. That carrot you find at the back of the vegetable bin doesn't have a lot of that nutritional value left.

It's so important. We eat to sustain our bodies and our good health. I think one of the reasons why people's health isn't in such a good state these days is because we're not eating well.

I'm not an economist, but I don't know why we would have to import things like apples from Australia, when New York grows apples, Washington state grows apples, not to mention Quebec and Ontario grow apples too. We are forced to buy fruits and vegetables that are produced thousands of miles away.

I've emailed Loblaws many times but I've never had any response. I've asked the people in the stores and they just says, "It's cheaper this way." But when you look at the hidden costs of transportation, pollution, and its impact on the environment, I don't think it's cheap at all.

On the ketchup controversy

As for the ketchup controversy, I don't buy either Heinz or French's, instead, I make my own. It's incredible. Once you taste it, you'll never buy bottled again. It can be adjusted to your taste and it's not loaded with high fructose corn syrup, like most bottled ketchups are.

Barbara Sinclair's comments have been edited and condensed.This online segment was prepared by Ayesha Barmania.