By Megan Munson
Health Editor
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]ore Americans are starting to eat bounteous local, organic food. With the recent introduction of locally-produced veggie boxes, the Outer Banks is no exception.
Coastal Farmers Co-op, founded in 2010, works with farmers across eastern North Carolina to bring local produce to the Outer Banks in the form of veggie boxes. The boxes are considered Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares.
“CSA is on all sides, farmer and consumer,” said Nicole Spruill, a local farmer and founder of Coastal Farmers Co-op. “A share is a guaranteed spot to get food.”
The food varies with the changes of the seasons. A typical veggie box during the winter months includes turnips, rutabagas, sweet potatoes and a variety of greens including collards and kale; all boxes include eggs. Size and amount of vegetables and eggs differ based on the family size of the participant. The food comes from farms in Hyde, Currituck, Pasquotank and Camden Counties.
“We service from Pasquotank County; obviously there are a lot of farms out in that county, all the way down to Ocracoke,” Spruill said.
With the Spring season comes asparagus and more greens and Summer brings local fruit such as strawberries to the boxes. During the peak summer time, around 15 farms owned by experienced and less-experienced farmers supply the food. An interest in locally-grown food has increased within the past two years, Spruill said. This interest applies to students as well.
“People (put) a lot of hard work into (farming local produce) and it’s healthier,” freshman Zoe Murden said. “We should start eating it because we will run out of food that comes from other places.”
Leaders in the Co-op are needed to help with the distribution of the boxes in their specific towns or sections of Northeast North Carolina.
“The next real step in this project is to find people that are real resources coming to the table,” Spruill said. “Resources are a precious commodity in this area.”
To properly function, the Co-op depends on a wide range of willing and skillful volunteers from all parts of the region, Spruill said.
“The Co-op is a support system. It takes a village to sustain itself,” Spruill said. “We need organizers; group organizers, community organizers.”
Nationwide, there has been an increased interest in locally grown, organic food since 1997, according to a study with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Organic food is not genetically modified, does not use pesticides and is typically 25 percent more nutritious than processed food, according to OrganicConsumers.org.
“I think organic food is really healthy for pretty much anyone and I feel that all Americans should be eating more organic foods rather than pre-packaged foods,” freshman Samantha Fonseca said.
A 2008 survey with USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service found that there were 14,540 USDA certified organic farms in the United States. Still, some students aren’t buying the idea that organic food is completely natural and free of harsh chemicals.
“I think that organic food is hard to mass produce without spraying down the fields with pesticides and things of that nature,” freshman Benjamin Rollason said.
Organic produce is abounding with nutritional benefits, such as higher levels of Vitamins C, D and E and the possibility of a decreased risk of autism and diabetes, according to OrganicConsumers.org. Typically, organic food is more expensive than the average processed food. High demands, organic certification and the need for additional labor justify the added expense, according to FoxNews.com.
“I think organic food is worth the cost but to be honest, I don’t think most people have the money to buy organic foods because of the price,” Fonseca said.
Some students feel that organic food overall does not differ greatly from conventional food from a grocery store.
“I don’t think (organic food) is worth (the extra cost),” senior John Winstead said. “I don’t think there’s any extra benefit to eating organically.”
Some students not involved in the Co-op have found eating more local produce to be a challenge.
“It’s hard where we live, so I just eat whatever is available,” Rollason said.
The coastal influence of the Outer Banks distracts from the commodity of locally grown food, according to Fonseca.
“I think I would try to (eat locally) but the only problem with that is that you almost never see local produce as much as you see local fish and meats,” Fonseca said.
According to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the organic industry has increased by 24 percent per year of the last decade.
“I think organic food is way better for your body rather than chemically processed foods,” Murden said. “Even though some may not taste good, organic food is a lot better.”
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