One of the downsides of living in a post-modern world is that it’s easy to lose touch with things that should matter to us.

How many of us crack open some kind of manmade package and consume some processed food product found inside without thinking much about where the stuff actually was derived?

It happens all the time.

We live in a world driven largely by convenience, to the point at which few of us know the source of what we consume.

Increasingly, however, American consumers have begun to ask questions about the products they purchase and the foods they eat.

Where did that come from?

What’s been added to it?

How did it get from the farm to my kitchen?

Critics argue Americans have become all too wrapped up in the squishiness of having food that’s all natural, organically raised, gluten-free or plain old raw.

But we’re only a few generations removed from a time when most Americans ate what they grew or raised themselves.

So it’s no wonder that great interest is being shown in helping local consumers more easily connect with local producers, eliminating the mysteries inside our foods.

Plans to expand the farmers markets in Natchez and Vidalia could be of great benefit to all of us by helping more of us know the producers, personally.

We applaud the efforts to increase awareness of locally grown food products. Having local farmers succeed helps our community’s economy as well as helping our community’s health and well being, too.