Late last month, writer Tom Keane contributed a piece to the Boston Globe. The topic at hand was the effect of the local food movement and some of the adverse consequences when one’s dietary constitution is heavily reliant upon nearby products. The article, entitled “The Bitter Reality,” sparked an awful lot of backlash from people who found his premise to be bunk.
Part of the problem, according to those commentators, is that Keane is not qualified to speak on the topic. Further to the point, there were claims of short-sighted and poorly conducted research. While I will agree that Keane’s background does little to put him on par with the likes of Mark Bittman, I’m not as ready to cast aside his perspective. While I am as down with sustainable food as anyone, don’t forget that local and sustainable aren’t the same thing.
The truth is that many of his points are valid (for example: high cost). However, like most things in life, there are valid points no matter which side of the issue you find yourself on. If you have the time, jump on over and give it a glance.
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