Understanding Where Your Food Comes From

‘Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are.’ – Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Most of us are far removed from the source of our food. If we think about where our food comes from, we picture food shops and supermarkets, not farms. We interact with cashiers, not growers.

Of course, industrial farming has many benefits: innovation in farming and technology and participation in global trade, availability of different varieties of food. Yet it also has drawbacks. It can damage the environment, harm workers, undermine rural communities and compromise animal welfare. Industrial farming can disconnect us from the food we eat.

And yet, a hundred years ago it was normal practice to buy local food.

A mindful approach can encourage you to think about where the food you are eating has come from. Who grew it or raised it? How? Where did it come from? How did it get here? Chances are, you'll not only gain more appreciation for your food but also find your shopping habits changing in the process.

From planting a vegetable garden to visiting a farmers' market, the answer is hardly that simple, but it's a start – it's a mindful start.