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What does ‘local’ mean in the grocery store? Multiplicity in food retailers' perspectives on sourcing and marketing local foods

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2010

Jonnie B. Dunne ,
Kimberlee J. Chambers ,
Katlyn J. Giombolini  and
Sheridan A. Schlegel
Jonnie B. Dunne
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, Willamette University, 900 State St, Salem, OR 97301, USA.
Kimberlee J. Chambers*
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, Willamette University, 900 State St, Salem, OR 97301, USA.
Katlyn J. Giombolini
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, Willamette University, 900 State St, Salem, OR 97301, USA.
Sheridan A. Schlegel
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, Willamette University, 900 State St, Salem, OR 97301, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
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Abstract

Local food systems are comprised of networks of actors that work to ensure the sustainability of food supplies within communities. While local food has typically been promoted through direct marketing strategies such as farmers' markets and community-supported agriculture (CSA), retail stores are increasingly carrying and marketing local foods in response to consumer demand and market potential. Given the frequency with which consumers shop at grocery stores, as well as the portion of consumers' food purchases made at these locations, these stores may play a significant role in the success of local agriculture and the shaping of ideology about what is ‘local’. We conducted 27 semi-structured interviews with representatives of food retailers known to source and market local foods in the four major urban centers of Oregon's Willamette Valley. Our results reveal that grocers' perceptions of local food vary significantly from one another. Additionally, our results differed in comparison to the published literature on consumers' and producers' ideas of what constitutes local. Food retailers identified varying distances (frequently a region including several states) that they consider local, as well as diverse reasons for choosing to source and market local foods (most commonly supporting the local economy). Some trends in the variation of responses relate to how the size and form of ownership of the grocery stores influence the level at which decisions are made. These wide-ranging perceptions outline many of the realities of the local food movement, as well as opportunities for change.

Keywords

local food systemWillamette Valleybioregiongrocersfood retailers
Type
Research Papers
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , March 2011 , pp. 46 - 59
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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