Confusion and Misunderstanding—Interpretations and Definitions of Local Food

Madeleine Granvik, Sofie Joosse, Alan Hunt and Ingela Hallberg
Additional contact information
Madeleine Granvik: Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7012, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
Sofie Joosse: Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7012, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
Alan Hunt: Centre for Rural Economy, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
Ingela Hallberg: Department of Food Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7012, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: Developing a more resilient food system based on sustainable food production and consumption is of major concern in creating food security. One issue in this complex field concerns the scale of the food system. Trends and tendencies show that the interest for local food has increased the last decade in Sweden, as well as in other parts of the world. Although the concept “local food” is commonly used, research shows that there is no single definition of it, instead definitions and meanings vary widely. This has led to a need by consumers of clearer information when buying “local food”. Several main actors in the Swedish food sector have joined forces to meet this issue. This paper contributes to knowledge on definitions, interpretations, and practice on local food by presenting views and opinions among different actors in the food chain in a Swedish context, but also in the light of an international pilot study. Main findings concern how the meaning of “local food” related to production , processing , raw material , and distance differs among stakeholders in the food chain. A majority stated that the basic meaning of “local food” concerns both the production and consumption within a certain geographical area.

Keywords: local food; sustainable food; definitions local food; interpretations local food (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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