How to Be a Conscious Eater

59

FARM-TO-TABLE:

THEY’RE NOT ALL HUCKSTERS

W

hen I first saw an exposé in the Tampa Bay Times in

2016 uncovering lies and cheating in the farm-to-

table business, my heart sank. A rigorous investigation

finally proved what many had speculated and others had prob-

ably feared but tried to dismiss—that often the local, artisanal,

farm-fresh promises touted by quaint restaurants were empty

ones: “local” farms that were actually far, far away, or listing a

fishmonger on a restaurant’s sourcing chalkboard who’s never

heard of the place. After this scandal about higher-end restau-

rants, investigations of fast food chains with similar rosily

spun stories unearthed much of the same.

The writer of the series of articles, Laura Reiley, summed

up the conundrum: “Most restaurants buy food from one of a

small handful of distributors who source products in bulk at the

best price from around the world [e.g., Sysco and US Foods] . . .

Most restaurants do not have the time or wherewithal to deal

directly with farmers and producers; most farmers and pro-

ducers don’t have the infrastructure to do their own sales,

marketing, and delivery. So the storytelling begins.”

Therein lies the problem: We so badly want the new wave to

be here now. And yet the day-to-day reality of turning a bear of

a food system on its head is a Sisyphean task.

On the bright side, many restaurants do what they say

they do: establish sourcing relationships with farmers in their

region. These afford you, the diner, with not just connection to

place but often greater variety, freshness, and flavor.

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