TORONTO—Despite common misperceptions, locally-grown food isn’t better for the environment, doesn’t provide a more stable food supply and it isn’t necessarily safer to eat, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. “With Thanksgiving just around the corner, Canadians may be surprised to learn that the global food supply chain—and not the local farmers’ market—provides safer, more affordable food that is better for the environment,” said Pierre Desrochers, associate professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga, Fraser Institute senior fellow, and author of The Myths of Local Food Policy: Lessons from the economic and social history of the food system. The study finds that locally-grown food often increases prices for consumers, since the high cost of land in or near big cities means urban agriculture is expensive. Conversely, due to the competitive nature of most agricultural markets, imports must achieve the best quality for the price, resulting in overall lower prices for imported foods.

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