Processing and packaging is now more than half the cost of groceries. Buying more fresh foods and eschewing plastic-wrap and styrofoam would result in immediate savings.

But people like processed foods because they really don't know how to cook. It's so much easier to just slip something into the microwave. And then you have more time for self-indulgence.

It sounds like the status quo (industiral farming) is trying to poison the well a bit.

No, all local foods are not created equal, but many areas can and do grow crops year round. Seasonal local crops can make at least a small dent in the "food miles" dilemma.

As it was pointed out in the article, chemical fertilzers are made from fossil fuels. In the mean time, confined animial feeding operations (CAFOs) pollute groundwater with excessive animal waste. What sense does that make??