ABSTRACT
The term locavore has been coined to identify people who are committed to eating locally produced foods. In many places, locally produced foods are more expensive than foods that are shipped in. Indeed, that is one of the basic reasons why many foods are purchased from distant places. Under these conditions, being a locavore could become an indulgence for high-income people, while people with low incomes shop much more on the basis of price: The wealthy consume diverse diets of unprocessed and local foods sourced from specialist providers, city farmers markets, and "wholefood" cafes and restaurants. People sometimes criticize communities for being overly dependent on imported food, but they can also be overly dependent on locally produced food. There is increasing recognition that local food systems should be resilient, in the sense that they can adapt quickly to changing conditions.
