One of the big trends in the environmental movement lately is the idea that people should "buy local" rather than purchasing items that were shipped across long distances. Long-distance shipping negatively impacts the environment, and workers overseas are often exploited and forced to work in sweatshop conditions.

Yet, will it really be a useful tactic to encourage people to buy local in the short run? Other than going to a local farmer's market, there's no easy way to figure out what came from where. Most busy families simply don't have the time or consciousness to go out of their way for basic items such as food.