selling local products essay

Why Buy Local?

Keep your money where your heart lives, support an economy of friends and neighbors, and build a community that thrives by thinking local first..

Small-scale, locally owned businesses create communities that are more prosperous , connected , and generally better-off across a wide range of metrics. When we buy from independent, locally owned businesses, rather than national chains, a significantly greater portion of our money is then cycled back through our local economy — to make purchases from our friends’ businesses, to aid our neighbors in need, and to support our local farms — ultimately strengthening the base of our whole community .

REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Fewer automobile miles.

Residents of neighborhoods with more local businesses log 26 percent less automobile miles.

Locally owned businesses make more local purchases — requiring less transportation — and set up shop in town or city centers which generally means less sprawl, congestion, habitat loss, and pollution.

KEEP OUR COMMUNITY UNIQUE

One-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinct character of our place. It’s what distinguishes the uniqueness of our community compared to a chain store that looks the same anywhere else.

SUPPORT COMMUNITY GROUPS

More donations.

Small businesses donate almost 2.5x more per employee to local charitable causes than large, national competitors.

Local businesses donate more per sales dollar to local nonprofits, events, and teams compared to national chains.

CREATE MORE LOCAL OWNERSHIP & GOOD JOBS

Net new jobs.

Up to 90 percent of net new jobs in the U.S. are created by locally owned businesses.

Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally, and in our community, provide the most jobs to residents. Let’s encourage more start-ups!

GET BETTER SERVICE

Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know their clients, customers, and patrons.

INVEST IN COMMUNITY

Remains here.

For every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $68 recirculates and remains in our local economy. Only $43 remains in our community when it’s spent at a national chain.

Local businesses are owned by your friends and neighbors who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in our community’s future — just like you.

BETTER SELECTION FOR YOU

Small businesses that select product based not on a national sales plan, but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantee a much broader range of product choices and price.

BETTER PUBLIC SERVICES

Local businesses mean a stronger tax base and better use of public services compared to nationally owned stores. This translates into better schools, transportation, and emergency response services for you and your family.

ENCOURAGE LOCAL PROSPERITY

Entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that promote their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character. This also means a better use of community space.

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Why Buying Local Is Important

When you run out of a favorite product, you probably go out to re-stock with only the product in mind — and not so much where you’ll get it. But did you know that where you buy your products can matter just as much as the products themselves?

While there’s nothing wrong with buying products from a national retailer, many of us don’t stop to think about where our money is actually going — except out of our pockets, never to be seen again. But what happens when we buy goods and services from local businesses in our communities? More than most people think! Learn about why buying local is so important — and beneficial.

Why Buy Local?

Buying local benefits you, your neighbors and the environment. Every local purchase can have a huge ripple effect. When you buy local food products, you’ll notice immediate and long-term perks. Choosing to support local farmers and food suppliers could offer you many different advantages. The positive impacts of buying local start with you, the buyer. Before exploring the broader effects of local purchases, consider how your shopping choices influence you. Reasons to buy local include the following:

Better Product Quality

When you buy or eat local products, you know the food on your plate didn’t have to travel 300 miles to get there. Local food products are  fresher and more nutritious  — not to mention tastier — than products that have spent time in transit, packaging and storage for days on end. The food products you find at farmer’s markets and local shops are bound to be fresher than those in larger retailers.

When produce has to travel to a faraway retailer, the farmers must pick it early, before its peak ripeness. On the other hand, local food sellers are able to harvest their produce at the right moment, resulting in a better taste. In addition to tastier produce, you’ll also find  hand-crafted cheeses  and  meat treated with careful quality control  when you buy local.

Product quality is about more than taste. Local food products are also extra nutritious. As food sits in storage or transit, it loses its nutrients. By the time it gets to you, it’s unlikely to have the same health benefits. If you want to make your taste buds happy and improve your diet, buy local.

Clearer Sources

When you buy local, you’re more likely to know where your food comes from and what’s involved with its creation. You can ask about the pesticides used in produce production or the feeding routines used in meat production. Knowing details about where your food comes from gives you a chance to make healthier choices.

Fun Experiences

Buying local also offers a better customer experience. Local markets are often fun environments, full of friendly people, live music, free samples and activities. While buying from a chain grocery store is an impersonal and, frankly, rather boring activity, buying from local retailers can be exciting and fun.

Building Connections

Shopping for local products closes the gap between the consumer and the farmer or manufacturer, which enables you to build buyer-seller trust. You can get to know the people producing and selling the food you eat. Conversations with the seller may give you an opportunity to learn about food production — the seasons, the processes and the local environment.

Saving Money

Despite popular assumptions, local food products can be less expensive than those in grocery stores, especially if you’re seeking organic or high-quality products. Since the food in the grocery store requires packaging and shipping, it can be pricier to put on the shelf.

The Impact of Buying Local

Buying local meat, produce and other food products can help you eat healthier, stay informed and save money. It also has larger impacts on those around you, benefiting the local economy and environment. Each time you support local food producers and sellers, you help build a healthier local economy, stronger community and more sustainable environment.

Impact on Your Local Economy

Supporting local businesses boosts your local economy. When you buy local, you’re  funneling money back into the community  rather than ambiguous national chains and corporations. Circulating money within your own community funds public infrastructure — things like schools, libraries, roads and parks. Local businesses also provide jobs and wages to residents and contributions to charitable nonprofits.

Small businesses are vital to the nation’s economy. The  30.7 million small businesses  in the United States employ about half of the private workforce. A booming local market encourages business entrepreneurs to establish their companies in the community. It’s a win-win all around!

Impact on Your Community

Your shopping choices impact your community beyond its economy. In a more abstract sense, strong local businesses give a community a distinctive character. A town’s one-of-a-kind shops make it unique and special. They attract visitors and offer a sense of self-identity and pride for the residents. While large chain retailers homogenize towns, local businesses strengthen and diversify communities.

Supporting small businesses also gives you a chance to get to know your neighbors, and those connections may come in handy down the road. Local commerce is a fantastic way to network with others in your community and foster appreciation for the local industry and culture.

Impact on the Environment

When it comes to local food products, the environmental benefits are significant. Some of the ways local food products help the environment include:

• Decreasing carbon emissions:  Transporting products long distances eats up fossil fuels. Since local products don’t need to travel far, they help reduce carbon emissions.
• Decreasing pollution and waste:  Since local products need little transport, they require far less packaging than products shipped across the country. The lighter reliance on packaging helps decrease pollution and landfill waste.
• Encouraging diversity:  Large-scale production limits diversity because plants and animals must have uniform qualities, like the ability to survive transport. Smaller farmers are able to produce a wider variety of crops and livestock. Diversity makes your plate interesting, and it promotes a healthier ecosystem.

These positive environmental impacts will help create a more sustainable future. Some of the reasons to make good choices for the environment include:

• Promoting food security:  Sustainability helps secure resources. Supporting sustainable practices, like buying local food, helps protect the future for everyone.
• Promoting public health:  Decreasing carbon emissions and pollution promotes public health. Your local purchases make for a healthier and safer society.
• Promoting healthy natural balances:  Plant and animal diversity creates the balance that ecosystems need to thrive. Small, local farms are better equipped to preserve natural diversity.

Why Buying Local is Important

Buying local is important for all kinds of different reasons. You might decide to buy local because it’s:

• Better for you:  Buying local food is healthier, tastier, more fun and often less expensive.
• Better for your neighbors:  When you buy local, you support your neighbors. You  help create jobs , fund public infrastructure and build a stronger, healthier community.
• Better for the environment:  The benefits reach beyond your community, helping promote a sustainable and safer environment by reducing carbon emissions and waste.

Buy Local in Lancaster, PA, With S. Clyde Weaver

There are many reasons to buy local, some of which might not be obvious at first. If you’re looking for a way to give back to the Lancaster community and experience local business quality and hospitality, check out  S. Clyde Weaver’s  wide selection of  locally produced goods  like meats, cheeses and snacks!

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6 Ways to Encourage Customers to Shop Locally

Why buy local? Small businesses that depend on revenues generated by local customers sometimes have difficulty promoting their products and services. Online marketing methods show tremendous potential, but do they also work for a locally-owned business with a relatively small customer base?  

Companies with a limited marketing budget can achieve remarkable results by taking advantage of the inexpensive marketing tools online. The following six ways to encourage customers to shop locally are straightforward marketing strategies within reach of every small business.

Here are the most effective shop local initiatives all businesses with a local approach should consider using. 

1. Build a website with a blog

Even now, many small businesses do not have a website. Business owners can build one themselves at a low cost, and there are plenty of website-building platforms to choose from. These range in terms of cost (some are free) and capability, so be sure to do your research.

On your website, be sure to include a company blog and to write a new blog post at least once a week. Adding content to your website keeps it fresh while also giving you a boost in the search engine page rankings.

It can take time to create blog posts every week. However, you have to think about short-term necessity vs long-term goals . Getting started can be a nervous and apprehensive time. But here’s the nub of it: no one knows your specific area of expertise as well as you do. Remember, you’re not writing for the world but for a group of people who appreciate reading what you have to say. Writing is a habit, and in no time, you’ll marvel at how far you’ve travelled. 

2. Distribute press releases

There are thousands of online platforms that allow business owners to submit digital press releases, but don’t ignore the value of submitting one to your local newspaper. Many publishers will print your press release in the paper and also post it on their website. It doesn’t have to be “big news” either. Just a nice little article of 400-words or less that lets the community know that you are still around.

Don’t just stick to your local printed press, either. There are plenty of media outlets and media types with a local focus. Consider guest appearances on your local radio station or even an interview on local TV channels based on your press releases. When you’re asking the question “why buy local”, those living in your area are going to want to know your thoughts.

The PR aspect should get you thinking about activities that you could engage in that would be newsworthy, such as community-based events that generate good PR. If you’re focused on brand growth , the local press can be a high-value resource.

3. Engage on social media

Almost everyone uses social media in some shape or form. Thanks to the invention of the smartphone, potential customers now use their mobiles to look for the nearest coffee shop, pizza parlour or grocery store. Pick one or two social media platforms, and start digitally interacting with the community.  

There is a lot of noise and buzz on and about social media. This post advocates that, at a minimum, you interact on social media and maintain a presence. There are plenty of ways to use social media to get more visibility for your business, but consistent engagement is critical. 

However, one danger of social media is that it’s so easy to post content that you can quickly overwhelm your audience. Try to limit your posts to once a day, and if that starts to lose you followers, then change things up and try posting two or three times a week instead. 

4. Use video

Search engines love videos. In fact, YouTube is now the world’s second-largest search engine . Starting a YouTube channel is free, and business owners can share these videos on their websites, blogs and social media. Check out Biteable — a great value platform for creating videos for small businesses .

Why is using video an important shop local initiative? Videos are a quick and easy way to let people know more about your products in an easily-digestible format. While basic text-and-image blog posts will always appeal to a certain demographic, video remains one of the most popular forms of online content. 

You don’t have to ask “why buy local” as the header of every video. Always approach every piece of content (in every format) with the intention to provide value to your local audience. This ensures that people will watch your videos, read your content and develop a brand familiarity that can only boost local sales.

5. List your business in local online directories

Google and Bing offer free listing services for locally-owned businesses. Yahoo charges a small monthly fee and lists your business in MapQuest, Yelp, Whitepages and about fifty other online locations. Check out Google My Business and Bing Places for Business to get started.

Shop local initiatives can take many forms for a local business, but directory listings are a must-have. Whenever a local customer needs something you sell, a search engine query will make you more visible if you have a presence on local and search engine directories. It’s simply a quick and easy way to provide accurate and up-to-date information about you and your business.

Not only that, but it’s also a space where your customers can leave reviews. That’s always a good opportunity to learn more about how your business is perceived. You can even use those reviews as part of your promotional materials. Positive testimonials showcased on your website are one of the best shop local initiatives to take advantage of.  

6. Join the local Chamber of Commerce

Sometimes there’s nothing better than good, old-fashioned, face-to-face networking. Joining the local Chamber of Commerce gives you the chance to connect with other business owners in a similar field, meet new potential customers or perhaps develop partnerships with companies in different industries.

Interestingly, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that meeting face to face with your peers in the business community is a great way of validating the choices you have to make. That includes selecting the online marketing channels most appropriate for your business and encouraging customers to shop locally.

For global and local businesses alike, community matters . The better your connections and the more integrated you are within your community, the stronger your business will be. Those connections are an amazing source of trade and recommendations, and the fact that everyone is working locally only strengthens a community.

Why buy local? The six shop local initiatives to use

Local businesses have a direct advantage over those globe-spanning corporations that lack the personal touch. A local business is always there, and the relationships between those businesses and their customers should always be strengthened. Using shop local initiatives and marketing strategies makes it easier than ever to make your business more visible.

When locals need what you sell, planning your marketing for local search engine optimisation means that they will be able to find you. Even if they’re new to the area or haven’t needed what you sell before, if they can find you online, they can contact you for help. And that’s why using the best shop local initiatives could be the key to more rapid business growth.

Being a local business doesn’t mean that you’re limited in what you can achieve. Professional tools used by global businesses are just as available to the smaller, more localised business model. When it comes to your finances, you can get real-time insights into your cash flow using Big Red Cloud. Talk to the team to find out more about our free trial that could transform the financial health of your local business.

Marc O'Dwyer

After completing a Graduate program in Marketing, Marc’s impressive sales career began at Allied Irish Banks, Pitney Bowes and Panasonic where he received numerous Irish and European sales performance awards and consistently exceeded targets and expectations. In 1992, Marc’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to set up his own business, Irish International Sales (IIS). Initially, this company was a reseller for Take 5 Accounts and Payroll software. Within four years, IIS became the largest reseller of Take 5 in Ireland, acquiring four other Take 5 resellers. He also found time to set up two mobile phone shops under the Cellular World brand and a web design company offering website design services for small businesses. In 2001, he bought the majority share in a small Irish software business, Big Red Book. At that time, the company was losing money. The company became profitable within two months, and Marc then acquired a payroll company to compliment Big Red Books Accounting products. In 2003, IIS were appointed as Channel Partners with SAP for their new SME product, SAP Business One. Marc sold his Take 5 business and concentrated on developing this new market for SAP As a result, by 2007, IIS was recognised as the largest Channel Partner for SAP in EMEA (Europe Middle East and Africa). In 2008, the IIS Sales Manager bought the Company from Marc in an MBO. He launched Big red cloud in June 2012, the online version of big red book, to date the company successfully converts 59% of trials into sales and the number of customers is growing rapidly. Marc continues to run both Big Red Book and Big Red Cloud which now support 75,000 businesses. He is a very keen sportsman, having played rugby for 20 years, represented Leinster at under 16 and under 20 levels, and league squash with Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club for 10 years. Marc has competed in 11 Marathons, including the London and Boston Marathons, and has completed several Triathlons and Half Ironman races. He has also completed six Ironman Races in Austria(x2), Frankfurt (Germany), Nice (France) , Mallorca (Spain) and Copenhagen (Denmark)

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28 Decisive Pros & Cons Of Buying Local

“I buy my produce at the local farmer’s market, which is actually cheaper than shopping at the grocery store.”

Anna Getty, Actress

Pros and Cons of Buying Local Products

Buying local has become quite popular over the past years.

An increasing number of people want to rely on local foods and products instead of things that have been carried over quite long distances.

While local purchasing has many important advantages, there are still some problems related to this concept.

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In this article, the pros and cons of buying local are discussed in detail.

Audio Lesson

Advantages of buying local, buying local can reduce transportation distances, less air pollution, less particle pollution, fewer trucks on our streets, less noise pollution, need for the use of fossil fuels will be lower, buying local can help to slow down global warming, can protect our natural habitats, buying local can reduce the need for mining, you can support the local economy, you can avoid the exploitation of workers in poor countries of our planet, you may become more aware of your nutrition, local food may taste better, food may contain higher amounts of beneficial nutrients, buying local can help to create jobs in your region, may also be better for animals, lower level of dependence on other countries regarding food supply, higher tax revenue for local municipalities.

One important benefit of buying local is that it can greatly reduce transportation distances for foods and other products.

In fact, many products are shipped over quite long distances since they often come from foreign countries all over the world.

However, this shipping process over long distances is quite harmful to our environment and it can also be considered to be quite inefficient.

Therefore, we as humanity as a whole should improve the efficiency of our production processes and one way to do so is to buy as much local food as possible.

By doing so, fewer products have to be shipped over long distances, which implies an increase in the overall efficiency and will also greatly benefit our planet as well.

Buying products that come from foreign countries far away also implies significant air pollution .

In the supply chain, products often have to be shipped over long distances until they finally end up in our stores.

However, these transportation processes also imply the emission of significant harmful substances into our air.

In fact, buying products from remote regions of our planet significantly lowers our overall air quality due to those emissions.

Hence, buying local can also help to improve our overall air quality and to protect ourselves against potential pulmonary diseases.

Another advantage of buying local is that it can help us to reduce particle pollution .

In the transportation process of foods and other products, significant amounts of harmful particles are emitted into our atmosphere.

In turn, this can also lead to serious health issues in the long run, including cardiovascular diseases and pulmonary issues.

Therefore, in order to do our health a favor, buying local can also help in this regard.

In general, if we buy more local products, there will also be fewer trucks on our streets.

In turn, chances are that we would be able to reduce the number of traffic jams as well.

This would make commuting much easier and could also save us plenty of precious time in the long run.

Consequently, if you are tired of excessive traffic and want to have fewer vehicles on our streets, you may want to buy local instead of food that comes from far away.

A reduction of vehicles on our streets also implies a reduction in noise pollution.

In fact, many metropolitan areas are quite noisy and if you live at a main street in those regions, chances are that you will suffer from significant noise all day long.

Even in the nighttime, you may wake up due to the excessive noise that comes from trucks.

Therefore, it may also be important to reduce the number of trucks on our streets since it would also mitigate the noise pollution problem to a certain extent.

Since we have seen that buying local can help to reduce the number of motor vehicles on our streets, it can also help us to lower noise levels from trucks to a certain extent.

In general, if fewer trucks have to be used since people buy more local foods, also the need to use fossil fuels in the supply chain will be lower as well.

We all know that the use of fossil fuels can be quite harmful to our environment since it can contribute to serious resource depletion and other environmental issues.

It is therefore crucial that we minimize the use of fossil fuels in the supply chain as best as possible.

One way to do so is to buy more local products instead of products that have been manufactured far away.

If lower amounts of fossil fuels are used in the supply chain, chances are that we can also mitigate global warming to a certain extent.

We all know that the use of fossil fuels also implies the emission of harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Those greenhouse gases are known to contribute to global warming.

Therefore, by buying local products and through the related greenhouse gas reduction, we can also slow down global warming .

Another upside of buying local is that you can also protect our natural habitats .

Especially if you buy products from remote parts of our planet, chances are that this will be quite harmful to many animals and plants since their natural habitats are often destroyed in those regions.

A prominent example of this sad truth is the Amazon Rainforest.

In the Amazon, many trees are cut or burned down by locals in order to get more space for farming.

However, this also implies vast destruction of natural habitats.

In turn, many animal and plant species will lose their natural living conditions and will drop in population.

Many of them will also become endangered or even extinct in the near future.

Hence, it is crucial that we protect these natural habitats as best as possible.

One way to do so is to buy more local products since more natural habitats could be conserved all over the world due to that.

If you buy local, you can also indirectly contribute to a reduction in mining activities.

Since products do no longer have to be shipped over long distances, fewer amounts of fossil fuels have to be used and fewer amounts of fossil fuels have to be extracted out of the ground through mining.

Thus, by buying local products, you can also reduce the need for mining and can also mitigate the adverse environmental effects related to it.

In general, through buying local products, you can also support the local economy.

Local farmers often have it hard to compete in the fierce global markets since their products are often more expensive in production.

In turn, many of those farmers may go out of business sooner or later if we don’t support them by buying their products.

Consequently, through buying local products, you can also ensure the livelihood of many small local farmers.

In the production processes of many products of our daily life, workers around the world often get exploited.

Quite often, companies pay those workers only rather low wages and workers also have to work for long hours every day.

In some cases, those workers do not even wear proper protection devices and may inhale harmful gases, which can lead to serious health conditions for those workers in the long run.

However, by buying local, you can refuse from contributing to this sort of exploitation.

In general, if you buy more local products, chances are that you will also become more aware of what you eat.

Over time, you will learn about the different foods and what they can do for our body and our brain.

In turn, you will also be able to make your nutrition much healthier over time, which can greatly improve your overall quality of life and also increase your life expectancy in the long run.

Proponents of buying local food also often claim that local food tastes better.

In fact, this is true most of the time.

Local food can ripen in an optimal manner and can be harvested when the optimal time has come.

In contrast, food that is harvested far away has to be harvested in an unripe state since it will still have to be shipped for several days or even weeks.

Therefore, through buying local, you can also expect a much better food taste on average.

Since vegetables and fruits can be harvested in a ripe condition when they are sold on local markets, chances are that these crops will also contain much more beneficial nutrients and vitamins compared to food that comes from foreign countries and has to be harvested in an unripe condition.

Hence, also from an overall health perspective, buying local can make quite a lot of sense.

If you buy local, you can also support the local companies.

In turn, those companies will be able to make higher profits and will also be able to employ more people in the long run.

Thus, if you want to support your family members and friends who may work in those agricultural jobs, you can do so by buying as much local food as possible.

Buying local can also improve the overall conditions of farm animals.

If animals don’t have to be carried over quite long distances before they finally reach the slaughterhouse, they will not have to suffer that much from stress.

In turn, this also implies that the meat from those animals will be of better quality if they are raised locally since those animals will not experience these high stress levels and their meat tends to be more tender due to that.

Another key benefit of buying local products is that countries can lower the overall dependence on other countries regarding their food supply.

Dependence is never a good thing since it can lead to all sorts of issues for the dependent party.

Therefore, it can be quite beneficial for the whole country if the country produces more food in a local manner and doesn’t have to rely on importing large amounts of food anymore.

By buying local food, you can support local farmers and other local companies.

In turn, those companies will make higher profits and the tax revenue for municipalities and for the government will also increase as well.

In turn, there will be more money for important infrastructure projects.

Therefore, you can do the whole country a favor if you buy local products on a regular basis.

Disadvantages of Buying Local

Limited variety of products, buying from local markets can often be more expensive, may just not be affordable for many people, buying local can be time-consuming, local products may have a shorter shelf-life, more unemployment in the conventional food industry, economic issues for people in poor parts of our planet, exports may drop significantly, may be detrimental to government finances, companies often overuse the term “local”.

Apart from the many advantages of buying local products, there are also some problems with this concept.

For instance, there might just be a rather limited variety of local products available to you in conventional stores.

Quite often, if you want to have a big variety of local products, you have to go to specialized shops to get them.

However, many people in our current state of the world don’t want to take the time and effort to go to many different stores and may therefore not buy sufficient local products.

Another problem with buying local is that local products are often much more expensive compared to products from foreign countries.

This is often due to the fact that wages in your home country will be much higher and also the production conditions may be worse compared to foreign third-world countries where wages are often quite low.

In turn, all this makes local products in the rich Western world much more expensive.

Hence, it is rather questionable whether the general public really wants to spend this additional money for their food.

Especially for poor people in our society, it will simply not be possible to buy local products from a financial standpoint.

Those people often struggle quite a lot and will often only be able to afford the cheapest products.

In turn, we cannot expect those people to buy local products since they will simply not be able to afford those items.

Consequently, this may further prevent the expansion of local products since too many poor people will be forced to rely on the cheapest products in order to use their money as efficiently as possible.

Buying local not only implies that you will have to spend more money on your food and on various other products of your daily life, it also implies that you have to spend some time on it.

Quite often, you will have to visit additional stores to find the local products that you want to buy since many conventional stores do not offer those products.

Therefore, if you are really serious about buying local, make sure that you have sufficient time for it in your life.

In fact, many people in our nowadays society often do no longer have this time since they work in demanding jobs for long hours every day and if you are one of those people, chances are that you will simply not have the time to attend local markets since they will be closed when you finally finished work.

Since local food is harvested in an almost entirely ripe state, those food products will often also only have a shorter shelf-life compared to products that are imported from foreign countries.

This also implies that you have to use those local food products within a shorter timeframe in order to avoid excessive amounts of food waste.

Consequently, make sure that you only buy as much local food as you are willing to eat in the next days in order to avoid food waste as best as possible.

While job opportunities in the local food market may increase if people buy more local products, the opposite is true for the conventional food market.

In fact, many people in the conventional food industry may lose their jobs if people rely too much on local products.

Therefore, the net effect of buying local food on the job market is rather unclear.

Many people in poor developing countries also rely on farming as their major income source.

They also rely on selling and exporting their crops to foreign countries.

In turn, if the demand for those crops decreases since more people buy locally, this also implies that farmers will no longer be able to sell sufficient amounts of their crops and may therefore lose their livelihood.

Therefore, while buying local products can help to strengthen the local economy, it can also be detrimental to small farmers in poor parts of our planet.

In general, if people buy more local products, exports will also drop significantly over time.

However, this can be quite harmful to countries that greatly rely on exports as their main income source.

For instance, if country A is famous for exporting a certain good to country B and country B decides to produce this good on its own, country A will be in serious financial difficulties since it loses all the income from its exports.

Therefore, a drop in exports can also be detrimental to a country as a whole and also for the local population.

If people buy more local goods, some countries around the world will also get into serious financial trouble due to the lower export levels.

In extreme cases, this can lead to sovereign default, which can be detrimental for the whole economy as well as for locals.

In turn, many people will suffer from serious poverty and the risk for social tensions and conflicts will increase as well.

Many companies realized how important and lucrative the label “local” can really be for them.

In fact, many companies claim that their products are produced locally.

However, quite often, this only implies that the product has been put together in the respective region while the majority of parts for the respective product will still be produced in poor third-world countries.

Thus, make sure that you will not be misled by the label “local” and try to figure out if the product really meets the criteria for being truly locally manufactured throughout the whole supply chain.

Top 10 Buying Local Pros & Cons – Summary List

Should you buy local.

As we have seen before, there are various advantages and disadvantages of buying local products.

In my opinion, while we should rely on local production much more, we should also make sure that this will not hurt poor developing countries who rely on exports in order to feed the local population.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_purchasing

https://www.moneyunder30.com/how-to-buy-local-on-a-budget

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/buy-local

About the author

My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people of all ages about our environmental problems and how everyone can make a contribution to mitigate these issues.

As I went to university and got my Master’s degree in Economics, I did plenty of research in the field of Development Economics.

After finishing university, I traveled around the world. From this time on, I wanted to make a contribution to ensure a livable future for the next generations in every part of our beautiful planet.

Wanna make a contribution to save our environment? Share it!

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Defining a ‘local’ product

There is no single, straightforward definition of a local product; it covers an infinite variety of production, processing, marketing and distribution systems for local products across the European Union. The absence of an official definition may be due to the notion of proximity, which varies depending on the region, and of a product and whether or not the processing of it is included. Any national policy in favour of local procurement is seen by the European Commission as a hindrance to the free movement of goods. However, European regulations on the free market do not preclude a systemic approach based on sustainable development, and LOCALEAT is launching a discussion on this complex subject at local, national and European levels. LOCALEAT’s objective is not to establish precise specifications or create a brand. The partners in the project have listed all the criteria that define a local quality product, and it’s down to the individual producers, artisans and distributors to carry it forward in the move towards eating healthier, more sustainable food that’s more local.

A foodstuff produced within a limited geographical area in accordance with defined agricultural and social practices. A local food product guarantees quality and know-how. Definition of a quality local product by LOCALEAT partners Tweet

Some successful local experiences:

Lait douceur de Normandie

The Lait Douceur de Normandie company was established in 1997 when Stéphanie LEBLOND, who comes from a family of farmers and producers of dairy products,

site cofinancé par l’Union européenne dans le cadre du programme FEADER.

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10 Strategies to Encourage Your Customers to Shop Local

• January 13 th , 2020
• Community , Membership/Programs

It’s now easier than ever to get the products you need, right away, without even leaving the comfort of your own home. With business giants who offer same-day delivery and online-sales with a loyal customer base, how can small businesses keep up? There is so much value in shopping local, not only for the business itself but for the surrounding community. Here are 10 different ways you can engage your customers to encourage them to shop local.

Share why you’re Unique

You bring something great to the KW community – that’s why you’re in business! Highlighting these unique qualities is important when it comes to customers buying into your business’ concept. Think about a coffee shop. There are so many to choose from! But what makes yours special? Maybe you donate part of your proceeds to charity, or you offer special discounts for your surrounding businesses. Whatever the case, don’t be shy and let your customers know.

Highlight your Community

Kitchener-Waterloo is very community-focused. With events like Oktoberfest or the Chriskindl Market , there are very loyal community members who routinely support local initiatives. You need to make yourself a known name in the community by also being represented by these initiatives. Whether you become a participating business in the ShopKW Business Crawl , or join other events such as the Uptown Hop ‘N Shop , you will gain more recognition, making your customers more likely to support your business.

Engage over Social Media

Interaction with your customers is important, and social media is a great way to engage with your customers. If your business does not have a social media presence, it will be more difficult to get customers to visit you. Some ways you can engage with your customers is by offering contests, discounts or sharing special offers on your Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . It can be very time-consuming to make social media posts. ShopKW offers packages where a ShopKW staff will create and schedule social media posts on your behalf. Having an online presence is no longer an option – it’s totally necessary! Make that happen and encourage your customers to #ChooseLocal .

Special Offers, Discounts & Coupons

Want to entice your customers to visit you in-store? Offer special discounts for in-store purchasing. A great way to get people in the door is to share a special offer, such as a coupon or discount code. You can do this by posting the offer on your social media channels and letting your customers know that they can show the post in-store for a specified savings. This not only keeps them engaged on your social media, but also gets them through the door! ShopKW also offers your customers the option of purchasing gift cards online and turning your coupons digital. 

Loyalty Programs

If you want your customers to return time and time again, consider implementing a loyalty program. We see these often with coffee shops where purchasing often pays off after only a few coffee purchases. This is a very inexpensive way to keep customers coming back. Simply have business-card sized punch-card created. Keep the cards and a hole-puncher at your cash register and hand them out to every customer! 

Share your Marketplace Online

Before customers make a purchase, they usually do some research on the products they are interested in. Of course, this usually takes place online. Are your products listed so customers know that you sell what they’re looking for? If you’re unable to keep up with the demand of selling online, that’s okay! Simply having your products listed online can help your customer direct themselves to your store. ShopKW is a great way to list your products online. It is cost-efficient, gives you access to being in an online directory and even offers managed packages where ShopKW staff can manage your online marketplace. Get noticed by having your products online and get more customers in your door.

Environmental Advocacy

With a current shift of society focusing more on sustainability, the health of our planet, and changing behaviours to be more eco-friendly, you should highlight the benefits of shopping local. When you shop local, you take away from the environmental impacts of shipping, excess packaging and have the option of reusable containers, bags, and even walk to local stores. The environmental impact that a single customer can have is great and could be a draw for them to access your services. If you’re along a bus or LRT route , mention that! If you offer a reusable container program, share that! 

Join your Local Chamber of Commerce

A Chamber of Commerce is meant to service businesses in the region. Typically they provide educational resources , networking opportunities and a membership base that is community-focused. The Greater KW Chamber of Commerce provides all of these services and more! Including the Member Rewards program , advertising and marketing opportunities and membership perks you won’t get anywhere else. Joining your local Chamber gives your business the credibility customers are searching for when choosing local.

With a continued focus on shopping local, make sure your business stacks up to the occasion. Using these various strategies can help you develop content for your social media posts, implement traditional marketing tactics and connect more with your local community. When it comes to supporting the local economy and community, businesses are at the heart of them all. What are some additional challenges your small business faces? We’d be interested to hear more for our future blog posts and resources. Don’t forget to learn more about ShopKW . Let us know!

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Locally Produced Goods Versus Imported Goods - Essay Example

• Subject: Macro & Microeconomics
• Type: Essay
• Level: Undergraduate
• Pages: 10 (2500 words)
• Downloads: 3
• Author: idooley

Extract of sample "Locally Produced Goods Versus Imported Goods"

• Cited: 33 times
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CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Locally Produced Goods Versus Imported Goods

Importance of trade creation versus trade diversion, global corporations, effects trade in the world economy, the main attractions of an import substitution strategy, is csr a myth a study of the sourcing strategies of the uk food retailers, south korean automobile market - non-tariff barriers, the economic prowess made by the usa in business, purchasing from local farmers can be beneficial to the environment.

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