Regional food: recognize products from the surrounding area

With increasing interest in climate change and its consequences, regional foods are becoming increasingly popular. Many supermarkets advertise local products, but not every item is actually produced nearby and not every food does what it says on the tin.

Recognize regional food - there are these seals

Products from the surrounding area should actually be easily recognizable by the labeling. However, the terms "region" and "native" are not protected, which is why any retailer can use them to screw down the price and attract customers - without legal consequences. Even spongy advertising slogans like "from here" say nothing about the origin of the food.

• The providers can freely decide how to advertise their items. In order to mark their products as genuinely regional, the manufacturers have to use special seals that are awarded according to different standards.
• Regional window: Thanks to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, this badge is a clear indication of local food. It tells you the origin, the place of processing and partly also the type of processing as well as the percentage of the components of the product from the region.
• Regional brands of initiatives: Individual retailers in an area can form an interest group and use their seal to indicate locality. Here, however, the community sets its own quality criteria.
• RegioPortal: In addition to general information about a brand, you can also find details on sales, the criteria and control systems and product management of regional products on the app and on the website of the Federal Association of Regional Movement
• Signs of the federal states and regions: These seals are also applied to the food according to different criteria. It may take some research here until you know exactly whether the quality and the degree of regionality meet your requirements.
• Markets, courtyards and farm shops: If the producers market and sell their food locally, you can ask the producer where the products come from. By the way, you can also get groceries that do not make it to the wholesale trade, for example "too small" potatoes and deformed carrots.
• Warning: Not every brand or article name indicates that the product comes from your area. Examples of this are "Coastal Gold" or the "Black Forest Ham". Here, other seals are usually required that clearly demonstrate the regionality.
• Also note that neither the country of origin, the "Made for" text, nor the identity mark are indicators of regional production or processing.

Advantages of local producers: more than just support

If you decide to buy meat, fruit, vegetables and other local foods, you support the environment and the businesses in your area. But that's not all.

• Taste and quality: The proximity to the point of sale gives the food manufacturer the opportunity to sell the products in a mature and freshly harvested manner - this way the nutrients are better preserved and you do something for your health.
• Seasonality: Buy fruits and vegetables according to a seasonal calendar, save yourself the waiting time for the ripeness of imported fruits and know in advance what is going to be on the market this month.
• Protection of jobs: With the purchase of local food you secure the existence of small businesses that have to stand up to large corporations and strengthen the economy.
• Animal welfare: When awarding many regional quality seals, the fair keeping of animals is taken into account. You can improve the living conditions of the animals due to the sometimes slightly higher food costs.
• Transport routes: Regional products only have short transport routes compared to articles from abroad. This will reduce CO2 emissions and lower your ecological footprint.
• Identity: If the product comes from home, your bond with the region is often strengthened and you get a feeling of belonging. You may even know the manufacturer or the farm from which the food comes. The anonymity that otherwise exists between seller and buyer disappears.

Food: "Regional" labeling says nothing about the origin

Regional products are not the only way to protect the environment. There are several other ways you can live sustainably.