There is also no consensus on the distance that food can travel to be considered local. Different standards can include: produced within the state it’s sold or within the country it’s sold, produced within a certain radius which might be measured in miles, or hours traveled by delivery truck, the closest source that is available in the current season, and many more standards.

The main problem, as I see it, is that there is no word that encompasses all that “local” means, at least not in the English language. I think the term “permaculture” comes closest at this point, though it is not nearly as widely known or understood. So, until someone coins such a word, “local” should only be part of the standard used, in combination with terms like “humanely raised,” “free range,” “no pesticides/herbicides used,” “permaculturally grown,” “family farmed,” “USDA organic,” “sustainably grown” and so on.

But really, all these terms are just shortcuts for actually getting to know the practices of a particular grower. That is the only way to truly know if your food meets your standards. And this is where I think the local movement really has power; in connecting people in a meaningful, physical way, to the food they eat, the people that grow it, and the land that produces it.

I write this response shortly before I go to a grocery store that specializes in “local food.” As I peruse the aisles I will keep an eye out for your “corporations in local clothing,” so to speak.

Great post, it has been food for thought, or maybe, as Steven Colbert says, “thought for food.”