ABSTRACT
Episodic policy change shaped English policy narratives of local food, in contrast to incremental development observed in American policy. Major policy shifts occurred due to: a change of majority party or coalition in Parliament (and consequently, government administration); government leadership change without a party or coalition change; regular policy cycles associated with the EU CAP or other EU policies; and events portrayed as national or international “crises” in mainstream media. Pike et al. (2011) observed that major rural policy shifts occurred with governmental party changes and minor shifts occurred when government leadership changed within a party’s tenure in the government. Advocacy groups were able to influence EU policies and their implementation in the UK, and were able to frame and reframe media coverage of crisis events.
