How many of you have been to the grocery store when the Pandemic first hit? I try to limit my time in the store and shop with my local farmers for many reasons I have outlined in previous posts. It really felt apocalyptic when I entered the store looking for a few items to place in the cupboards that I would normally not stock. I could not get much. The panic in the store was real and palpable. While I am not a food hoarder I do like a decent variety of shelf-stable foods to compliment the local foods I purchase locally or grow in my garden. As I was shopping I was wondering how it is that we have become so worried about the food supply.
There are some things to consider about your food. Firstly, our food does not miraculously appear overnight, it takes months up to years for the farmer to plan and meet the requirements they have committed to. Once the farmer grows the food it makes it way to the various stops in the supply chain. During this pandemic we are not out of food in Canada yet farmers are killing their crops, their livestock, and dumping their milk. How can this be when the shelves are empty...well the answer is simple, there is no time or space to process the foods and there are links to several articles below explaining what is happening.
My general rule of thumb for my food at home is to eat those things that I can pronounce the name of and know where it came from. One way to do this is by supporting local farms or at the very least Buy BC at the stores. Supporting local farmgate supplies also reduces your exposure to people. We have a plethora of farms in our area, some small and some larger.
Much of Canadas food supply chain is managed with a supply management quota system. Farmers own purchased quota for the right to produce a certain quantity of food for a set minimum price. Examples of food that are supply managed in Canada include eggs, poultry, and dairy. I have personal experience with the egg quota system when my husband used to farm to produce eggs for Vancouver Island. Local farms that I like to support that are a part of this quota system include Witta farms, Springford Farm, and Qualicum Cheeseworks. Witta farms birds can be found at Country Grocery and Eat Fresh Urban Market in Parksville. I also like to purchase cheese from Qualicum Cheeseworks and when I go to their farm gate store I can purchase eggs that are raised at Springford farm in Nanoose.
As we work through this pandemic think twice about where your food comes from.