The term “local” food is a confusing phrase often used on food signage, packaging and in advertising. Did you know there is no universal agreement as to what defines “local” or what a “local” food system is?

Consumers often assume “local” means the food was produced, distributed and purchased within a relatively close distance. I envisioned locally grown to mean the oranges, spinach, and hummus I purchased in my hometown farmer’s market, were coming from a nearby family farm that grew a variety of foods and the livestock were outside roaming on pasture. I imagined the foods being harvested the day before they were packed up and brought a short distance early the next morning. It concerned me that what I thought to be a wholesome shopping experience, could be a fraud. How could there be no generally accepted definition of “local” when it is used so often? The good news is that according to the USDA, more than 85% of farmers market vendors traveled fewer than 50 miles and more than half of farmers traveled less than 10 miles to their market. So depending on where you live and how many farms you have nearby, will likely depend on food miles (Ragland and Tropp, 2009).

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, “local” is defined as “belonging or relating to a particular area or neighborhood, typically exclusively so”. Given the meaning, who then defines the particular area? How far does that area extend? Where does it stop? Perhaps the term local is not appropriate to describe the closeness to which a food is produced then purchased after all. There may be another word that better illustrates the meaning we are reaching for; one that gives us clarity without ambiguity because it doesn’t require exactness and division.

Walter Hedden introduced the concept of “foodshed” back in 1929 at a time when our food system was vastly different. Mechanical (tillers, shredders) and chemical inputs (pesticides, herbicides, insecticides) were used less than today. The United States population was 1/3 of what it is now. Food production has always coincided with the size of the population, and in fact, population grew congruently with food production. There was not as much global trade as there is today. The early 20th century was a time when many families still farmed, and consumers would more likely know where their food came from. It was natural to have a sustainable economy and environment; not one that needed a movement.

Hedden devised the phrase “foodshed” in response to a nationwide railroad transportation halt in 1921. He was concerned about the lack of credible information about the sourcing, supply, handling, and distribution of food with the focus on New York City (Peters et al, 2008). He was referring to a physically defined area, like that of a city, county or state. “Foodshed” was the “local” for its time but it did have clear boundaries. Hedden’s “foodshed” has morphed over the years to reflect current food system issues, and with that came new meaning. Wendell Berry (2002) so poetically reflected in his writings, that we too must change because as we acquire knowledge, “there is a revelation of ignorance”. Decades after Hedden coined the term, Jack Kloppenberg (1996) described a “foodshed” to include five holistic principles. These included the “physical, biological, social and intellectual components of the multi-dimensional space in which we live and eat”. The meaning evolved to reflect agricultural concerns we are challenged with now.

The question I have for you, the reader, the citizen, the consumer of foods, and inhabitant of your community is based on Kloppenberg‘s definition. How would you define your “local”? What would you need to examine in order to understand how your food system functions and what past, current and future challenges and opportunities can you identify about your foodshed?

Berry, W. (2002). The Art of the Commonplace. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint.

Kloppenburg, J., Hendrickson, J., & Stevenson, G. (1996). (PDF) Coming Into the Foodshed - researchgate.net. Retrieved September 5, 2020, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242073081_Coming_Into_the_Foodshed

Peters, C., Bills, N., Wilkins, J., & Fick, G. (2008, December 08). Foodshed analysis and its relevance to sustainability: Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. Retrieved September 05, 2020, from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/renewable-agriculture-and-food-systems/article/foodshed-analysis-and-its-relevance-to-sustainability/A29A703B6B73572A2022C4883AF5F763.

Ragland, E. and D. Tropp. 2009.  USDA National Farmers Market Manager Survey 2006. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service. Available at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5077203&acct=wdmgeninfo