Hawaii ranked fifth for ‘locavore’ options

Hawaii ranks fifth in the nation for its commitment to raising and eating locally grown food. This according to the 2012 Strolling of the Heifers Locavore Index, based on figures from the USDA and U.S. Census Bureau.

The top state in the index was Vermont, which is where Strolling of the Heifers is based.

“Locavorism is on the rise everywhere, so there’s no stigma in being closer to the bottom of the list,” founder and executive director Orly Munzing said in a statement. “Our research shows that CSAs and Farmers Markets, as well as Farm-to-Plate programs, which bring local foods into schools and other institutional food systems, are becoming more numerous every day in every state.”

The top ten states for locavorism, according to the index are:

• Vermont
• Iowa
• Montana
• Maine
• Hawaii
• Kentucky
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Wyoming
• Idaho

Hawaii’s rank was based on data [PDF] showing 85 farmers markets and 135 CSAs serving a population of 1,295,178, or 16.99 options for every 100,000 people.

“The average carrot sold in a supermarket travels more than 1800 miles to get there,” Munzing said. “Wouldn’t you rather eat a carrot grown nearby, by a farmer you can meet? And wouldn’t you like that to be true of most of your food, whether it’s meat, dairy, vegetables or fruits?”

See Also:

• Vermont tops Strolling of the Heifers Locavore Index
• Local Food Index Ranks Vermont At Top, Florida At Bottom