ABSTRACT
Over the past decade, interest in local foods has grown among the public as well as policy makers and researchers. This current “buzz” over local food has also captured the attention of chefs, journalists, politicians, farmers and food retailers (Mount 2012). In recent years consumer demand for local food has appeared to have grown substantially. Locally based food movements have emerged in North America and Europe in response to the perceived failings and injustices of the global industrial food system on economic, environmental, health and social indicators of equity (Blouin, Chopra & van der Hoeven 2009; Martinez et al. 2010; Gössling & Hall 2013). In North America the driving force behind the local food movement is consumer demand (Wormsbecker 2007; Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council 2012). Reasons for consumer support for local food systems include: wanting access to fresh food, wanting to support local farmers, wanting to support the local community and wanting to engage in social interactions (Feagan, Morris & Krug 2004; Brown & Miller 2008; Seyfang 2008; Vecchio 2010: Hall 2013; Hall & Gössling 2013a). Consumer concerns have also been associated with concepts such as trust, locality and transparency, animal welfare and food safety (Renting, Marsden & Banks 2003; Sonnino & Marsden 2006; Feagan & Morris 2009; Onozaka, Nurse & McFadden 2010). As a result, farmers’ markets, food box delivery programs, community-supported agriculture and other forms of farm direct sales have grown in popularity since the late 1990s throughout much of the developed world (Hinrichs 2000; Zepeda & Li 2007; Hall & Gössling 2013a).
