When Did Groceries Become an Import?

As I was watching the news tonight, a report came on about our weak Canadian dollar. What we save in gas prices will be lost elsewhere, they said. Anything we import - including groceries - will be more costly for Canadians, they stated.

When exactly did groceries become an import? We all know its true. Take one critical look at your grocery cart and name me at least 5 things that were grown or made here in Ontario... can you do it? Now look around at the countryside surrounding you and tell me we don't have the capacity to grow much of our own food.

John's Deli by Kingstonist.com on Flickr

CC AT-NC-SA Licence

There's evidence all around us that it can be done. Let's take John's Deli as an example here in town. Its the dead middle of winter and yet they have local carrots, beats, potatoes, meat, greens, artichokes, bread, milk, cheese, and more. The soil around us can sustain us. Groceries are not an import so long as we fill our baskets with what is locally available to us.

Now I appreciate that the news often oversimplifies its stories. A low Canadian dollar certainly will have impact on consumers and what we pay at the till. However, its dangerous thinking to see our grocery store as an imported wonderland rather than a home-grown success. We have such a rich
capability to produce things ourselves. For that we should not have to pay the price of costly imports.


When did groceries become an import? by Eat Local, Kingston is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.