Guy Allan Davis is an Advocate of Using Local Ingredients in His Cooking

Guy Allan Davis is a certified Master Chef, and a journeyman baker specializing in whole grain breads and laminated doughs.

He is also an advocate of using local ingredients in his cooking: the idea that the closer to home your food is sourced from, the better off you are. There is general agreement among food lovers and food experts that local ingredients are healthier for you, and perhaps more important, better tasting.

Next time you’re in the grocery store, take a look around: what do you see? There are far more processed foods on the shelves than there are whole, unprocessed food, and those canned and boxed goods may come from hundreds of miles away. Less than twenty percent of the average grocery store’s square footage is given over to fresh produce.

One reason for this is purely economic: processed foods are less expensive, have a longer shelf life, and are easier for stores to stock and sell. But they also tend to be much higher in sodium, artificial sweeteners, preservatives like butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), and other ingredients you’re better off avoiding. Processed food does not automatically mean that it’s bad for you, but who wouldn’t choose fresh blueberries or strawberries over frozen or canned?

Many consumers, and food professionals like Guy Allan Davis, are acutely aware of the downside of processed foods, and the benefits of fresh, unprocessed foods – in particular, those that are sourced close to home. Arguably, one of the best things about buying and consuming locally sourced foods is that it helps to support the local economy. Money that is spent on locally grown or produced food products stays closer to home. Instead of adding to the profits of a corporation in some distant state, or even some distant country, it helps to support your neighbors.