When people think about 'buying local', they often first think of food, and that is a good thing. It's only been for the last 30 to 60 years (ie well within the lifetime of some of us) that food isn't by its nature something that is grown, harvested and processed somewhere close to us.

There has been no shortage of books and documentaries about the multinational companies which have turned food into an industry which cares little if food creation and distribution is good for the beings that eat it and good for the planet. Many of those multinationals like Kraft Foods, Nestlé and Unilever manufacture some of their 'Fast Moving Consumer Goods' (FMCG) in South Africa. AVI (think I&J or ProVita, Eat Sum More and Salticrax) is one of the local holding companies with a number of food and beverage brands in their stable.

These FMCG are generally affordable and convenient and often score high on the immediate satisfaction scale (I am a big NikNaks and Twix fiend...), but the trick is not to confuse them with food. Food, ie nutrition and nourishment for body and soul should come with a story and a producer who cares and who you can talk to. They nurture us and we make sure that feeding us makes them a living. That's buying local food in a nutshell.