The purpose of this series of articles is to briefly touch on some of the larger problems with our current food system (especially in the West, although it is spreading and being pushed elsewhere in the world as well) and give some possible scenarios to show how easily it could be broken. Please read Part 1 for a more detailed introduction and explanation.

There is far too much to explain in just a few articles, and there is much excellent and detailed information about each of these points on the internet. If you are already familiar with the current food system and the controversy surrounding it, much of this will not be new to you. This series is only meant to be a brief introduction and overview to a very deep problem.

Most everything I wanted to say has been covered in the previous three articles (1, 2, 3). I hope they provided a greater understanding of the unnatural and ready-to-collapse nature of our current food system, and why it is therefore so necessary to break our dependency on it and go back to a more natural way - eating Fresh, Local, and Organic (FLO).

There is one last topic that we have not really touched on: Why local? Why is fresh and organic not enough, what is important about eating locally? Therefore, this final article will focus on this point.

Why Eat Local?

Many good answers to this question are well-documented throughout the internet. However, probably the simplest and also most convincing answer can be found, like so many things, not through explanation but experience. Buy three of a certain fruit or vegetable: One conventional (non-organic), one organic, and one local and organic (ideally, pick it yourself right off the vine). Taste each one and compare. (This test is especially convincing for produce that begins losing its freshness and vitality the moment it is picked such as berries and soft fruit, leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, etc.)

You could even try blindfolding yourself and/or mixing the samples up and then seeing if you can guess which is which. It will most likely be easier than you think. Those who have been raised on food from supermarkets, cans, and restaurants may be surprised to learn that vegetables are actually delicious; it is our food system that has turned them into tasteless cardboard, to be forced down with displeasure rather than enjoyed as God's merciful bounty.

In addition to the many reasons to eat local that can be found online, there is another one which only Maitreya has Revealed: Locally grown food adapts itself to the area in such a way that if you eat it, you will also become better adapted to survive and be healthy in that area. For example, local food picks up resistances to local diseases, viruses, bacteria, etc. It may also pull the correct balance of nutrients for your area from the soil. Eating it will transfer these resistances, and this nutrition, to you.

It is surprising this is not more widely recognized in the scientific community, considering one of the basic tenets of evolution is that organisms react and adapt to their specific environment. Indeed, it is already known or suspected in some cases: Some doctors recommend those suffering from allergies to eat local honey and bee pollen. I have personal experience that this works; perhaps it allows the body to become acclimated and build up a resistance to the local pollen.

There may be other ways that local food helps you thrive in your area as well - we expect scientists will eventually discover these and come to realize that what Maitreya says is true.

Therefore, eating local is an essential part of a natural, Godly food system. That is why our motto for food has become Fresh, Local, Organic (FLO). Of course, like everything in the Mission, this should not become rigid. There is nothing wrong with importing and exporting food, especially as technology makes transportation faster and faster and thus reduces the loss of freshness and quality that comes with transporting food for days over long distances. Perhaps technology will eventually reach such a point that all food will essentially become 'local.' However, especially at this time, in order to benefit from the advantages mentioned above, the ideal is for a significant portion (the majority) of one's diet to be from local sources.

As with all of God's and the Mission's recommendations, it should not be a burden, but is good for you and will improve your life. Eating FLO will make you healthier, stronger, more effective, you will get sick less, spend less on medical care, and it tastes better. What more reason is needed?

Conclusion: The Ideal Food System

With all this understanding of the problems with our current system, let us now end on a positive note and consider what a truly Godly food system might be like. A good place to start is in O, Son Of Man in THOTH:

"The dawn of a new era has been felt by millions. The signs of the end of the old era are apparent in every corner of the earth. This new era is not to return to the old, but to combine the old and the new to a synthesized (whole) way of life. The new era is the time of realizing and implementing the ancient truths combined with new technology (with the use of natural, renewable, and pollution-less resources) to improve the life of man. The new technology will free man from the mundane. The ancient truths will guide him to the Goal.

This new way of life necessitates a new system to make it workable. This new era can neither exist based only on diversity and the decentralized mode of the agricultural era, nor on the centralized, unified notion of the industrialized period.

The coming of the new era will be more diverse than the agricultural period, but will be highly connected to the rest of humanity or even the universe. This system, therefore, has not only to recognize and accommodate for this diversity, but also to maintain the unity between the complex, interrelated components existing on earth."

Therefore, the goal is not to destroy technology and progress and return to the days of the horse-drawn plow, but to bring technology back in harmony with nature and God's Way - use human ingenuity and technology to enhance the way God has set it up, not fight against it.

We can also see that the future will be more decentralized than the big cities we have now (although still connected through technology). This will make it possible for everyone to be close to where their food is produced, so all can enjoy fresh, local meals (no more food deserts).

The base of a Godly food system, of course, will be the same as the base of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth: The Communities of Light. Each community will work out their own system of farming practices, food distribution, etc. The guidelines for these systems will be as explained above: Using technology to enhance Nature's Way. Food should be grown free of poison and unnatural additives, in such a way to maximize nutrition and freshness. Livestock should be allowed to live fulfilled lives, able to fully express their instincts and natural patterns. Integrating different parts of the system to help each other, as Nature does, will maximize efficiency and benefit.

Maitreya gives a possible example of such a system in Golden Keys 4:

"For example, a family can have a house surrounded by or connected to a greenhouse. The air in the greenhouse can be filtered and circulated into the house during the day and envelop it during the night to keep the temperatures of the house constant and comfortable. The air forced into the house during the day, because of the sun and plants in the greenhouse, will be greatly enriched by the oxygen. The automatic shutters will close the flow of the air at night to the house.

The greenhouse can be programmed to keep a constant temperature. Then they can grow all kinds of vegetables (grains, etc) all year round. They can even program it to have different temperatures, in different sections, for a variety of plants to grow.

These plants can be watered by computers whenever they are thirsty with no human presence necessary. This family can also have a pool or pond. They can keep fish in this water. The water will be kept at a constant temperature, comfortable for the fish.

At the top of this pond, they can keep some fowl (chicken, etc) in such a way that their droppings will fall into the pond and enrich it. This will nourish the algae and allow foodstuff to be available for the fish. The same water, enriched by the algae and other minerals, can be used to water the greens in the greenhouse."

Therefore, as with all other parts of human life, our vision for the future is huge and probably seems impossible to many. However, we can be assured that when the Kingdom comes, it will heal the earth and our food system, as it will heal everything else.

So: For the future, we look forward to a New Heaven and a New Earth. For now, eat Fresh, Local, Organic!

I hope this series of articles was helpful. If you have any questions about food, farming, our current system, the Mission's proposed future system, etc., please email me. Thanks be to God.