Salt Lake City (September 2, 2015) – Utah Eat Local Week starts September 12th and runs through September 19th. Various events, including the Eat Local Challenge, will be held throughout Utah during the week. Eat Local Week is a state-wide program that helps promote local food and agriculture by encouraging community members to take the Eat Local Challenge, celebrate Utah’s agricultural heritage, and connect with their local community through food and events.
At the heart of the week is the Eat Local Challenge, which is a pledge to eat as local as possibly for one week. The Challenge is divided into three levels of intensity, making it easy for anyone to get involved--from hardcore locavores to those who are just learning about the local food movement. Learn more, pick a level and pledge online at EatLocalWeek.org.
“The Eat Local Week program began as the Eat Local Challenge in 2007, when a Salt Lake couple wanted to see if they could only eat food that came from within a 250 mile radius of their home,” said Adrienne Tuerpe, program manager for Eat Local Week. “Not only did they challenge themselves and succeed, but encouraged friends and family to join. Continuous community support for the Eat Local Challenge has grown this grassroots campaign in to Eat Local Week, a statewide non-profit program.”
Eat Local Week officially kicks-off Saturday, September 12 at 11 AM with Wasatch Community Garden’s annual Tomato Sandwich Party, followed by a documentary film screening of On Her Own on Monday, Sept. 14, and local cooking and pickling classes on Tuesday and Wednesday. Other events include the Real Food Rising Fall Celebration, Wasatch Cooperative Market’s Local Food and Art Show, and the Liberty Heights Fresh Anniversary Party. Eat Local Week will close with a celebration held on Saturday, September 19 at 6pm on the rooftop of Harmons City Creek.
Other ways to get involved include the Eat Local Week Recipe Contest, where entrants submit a recipe using local ingredients for a chance to win a Blendtec Blender ($400 value) or registering a team for the Eat Local Week FoodQuest - a week-long food adventure and scavenger hunt where teammates complete local food related tasks around the state, to earn points to win a variety of prizes, including a grand prize of $500 cash.
Eat Local Week is made possible with the help of generous sponsors, including Harmons Grocery, Local First Utah, Catalyst Magazine, Cotopaxi, and Third Sun Productions. Eat Local Week is a collaborative program between Wasatch Community Gardens, Slow Food Utah and the Downtown Farmers Market. Take the pledge for the Eat Local Challenge and find more information about Eat Local Week events by visiting EatLocalWeek.org.
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About Utah Eat Local Week
Our focus is simple: to rally our communities to eat more locally produced food—which in turn supports our local farmers, producers and economy, and helps to preserve our agricultural heritage. We facilitate this shift by offering a variety of resources and educational events around the state. The cornerstone of Eat Local Week Utah remains the Eat Local Challenge, and it's a vital part of our effort. The challenge empowers people to take charge of the food they eat and where it comes from by eating as locally as possible for one week.