Pamela's kitchen and the hype behind local

I notice that the new video of Pamela's kitchen on The Packer's Web site is catching some buzz on the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group.
Luis writes:

Looking forward to see more segments. The line between produce and frozen dinner is blurring. Some products that come to mind as candidates in no order of preference.
Refrigerated potatoes (particularly the spiced cubed kind) http://www.simplypotatoes.com/
Bird's eye Steamfresh product line (a bit redundant) http://www1.birdseyefoods.com/birdseye/steamfresh/
Hmm... the sliced apple folks and others might be onto something with the offering of single serving packs.


Cal from the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group posted this thought recently on the buy local trend, and I'll pass it on here. This topic needs more illumination, for sure, to define how big it is and how big it will become...and why.


Has anyone seen actual studies showing the effects of "Buying Local" verses buying traditional produce? I've seen the old trucks that the local guys drive. I've seen how long their product sits before it sells. I just can't imagine how much more environmentally friendly, or fresh most of the product could be.
If you could make local producers as efficient as the big shippers and haulers in the traditional industry, then clearly the local grower/ shippers would have an advantage. Antidotal evidence, however, says they are no where near that level of efficiency.
Most of the products I'm responsible for are not grown here, so I don't get to work with local programs very often. So all I know about the "locally grown" movement is from the outside looking in.
We do, however, buy local product when it fits our program, but not as a part of some larger "locally grown" program. Because of that, I'm sure in some regions it is possible to build a greener and healthier program by working with local venders to some extent, but I'm not sure it would work just anywhere with just any product.
Is it all hype? If not, what am I missing?
Cal