ALBANY - New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker Monday challenged all New Yorkers to "eat local" for at least one day this week. During the week of August 3-9, National Farmers' Market Week and the peak of fresh summer produce, New Yorkers are challenged to only eat foods that are produced or grown here in New York.

"Here's the challenge," the Commissioner said. "Pick a day this week and try to eat only locally grown or made products for breakfast, lunch, dinner and any snacks in between. This simple task has tremendous benefits for everyone in New York. Buying and eating local foods supports our hard working farmers, keeps farmland open and productive, reduces food miles which saves on gas and can cut greenhouse gas emissions, and last but not least, it tastes great as it is picked at the peak of harvest and offers not only excellent flavor, but maximum nutrition."

To kick off the "Eat Local" Challenge, Commissioner Hooker will visit three local food systems in Albany today, August 5. He will visit a specialty food store, a community garden and a local farm and café to highlight the diversity of products and places consumers can buy local food in New York State.

New York State has a diverse food and agricultural industry that offers consumers an abundance and wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meats, eggs, sauces, confections, breads and more. These local products and more can be found at many retail and specialty stores, at roadside stands and farmers' markets, and restaurants throughout the State. Consumers can also visit their local farmer directly, join a CSA or community garden for fresh products. The Pride of New York program uses an emblem to help consumers identify New York State products where they shop.

The concept of buying local is simply to buy food or any goods or service that is produced, grown or raised as close to home as possible. With industrialization and globalization, food now travels further to reach the average consumer's refrigerator. "Food miles" is a term that refers to the distance food travels. The food miles for items in an average grocery store tend to be 27 times higher than the food miles for goods bought from local sources, such as farmers' markets.