Eating Local: What’s It All About?

Locavorism, food miles, responsible purchasing... Eating local is a movement which is constantly gaining popularity, generating several new terms. Here’s a little overview to help you handle the lingo.

Like many trends and buzzwords, the term “locavore” and its movement originated in the great state of California. Invented in San Francisco in 2005 by the American leader and activist, Jessica Prentice, during World Environment Day, Jessica challenged local residents to try to only eat food grown or produced within 100 miles (160 km) for a month. The movement has been so successful that it quickly gained attention in cities around the world.
 

Thus, in 2007, the word "locavore" made its way into the New Oxford American Dictionary, which even named it "word of the year," and The Petit Larousse integrated it in its pages in 2010. In 2015, The Charter of the French Language in Quebec went forward by including it in its grand terminology dictionary while recommending the use of the term "localivore," as it is more modelled on French.
 

In Canada, the locavore philosophy began to make headlines after the publication of The 100 Mile-Diet in 2007. The book documented the lives of a British Columbian couple in their thirties that were only eating locally for a year. As a critical and popular success, the book has been discussed in media across the country, particularly in Quebec, highlighting the challenge to put such a restrictive outlook of "local eating" into practice, especially because of our climate. Neither green beans nor lettuce grow in January on Quebec’s soil... (but greenhouse production does allow you to eat some local fruits and vegetables all year round!)

A Changing Definition

If the definition of locavore is unanimous, the notion of "local produce" is subject to many interpretations. There is no doubt that there are many differing views on the acceptable maximum distance between food sources and consumers. Some locavore fans limit it to 150 km, while others go up to 250 km. Besides considering distance, others also attempt to shop according to the seasons.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has chosen a less restrictive definition: according to the current interim policy, the term “local” may be used for food produced in the province where it is sold, or for food sold in other provinces or territories within 50 km of the province or territory of origin. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec (MAPAQ) is moving in the same direction, associating "eating local" with "buy food produced in Quebec" or "prepared in Quebec". This is also the case for major supermarket chains operating in the province. They have all aimed for a local purchasing policy in recent years.

Limited Food Miles

Often associated with the locavore ideology, the concept of food miles calculates the journey of the food, from its manufacture to the consumer's plate, through to the processing stage. The goal of "eating local" is of course to reduce the mileage for ecological, health and economic reasons. Which kinds of local produce are consumers most likely to put in their grocery shopping cart? The most popular foods in the category, in highest to lowest order, are strawberries, tomatoes and salads, followed by bread, meat and poultry.

What About Responsible Purchasing?

Many locavores are sensitive to the main principles of responsible nutrition. This concept, brought during the same time as "locavorism," invites people to be mindful about the impact of their food choices have on their health and the environment, as well as on the living conditions of those who produce the food consumed. According to this movement, buying goods made or prepared in Quebec is a sensible choice, with positive consequences in these areas.

A Must-Do

Local purchasing is a matter of concern for a large part of the Quebec population. It began as a marginal movement and has now become a social phenomenon in only a decade. As proof, 66% of Quebec consumers say they buy food with the Aliments du Québec tag every two weeks or more. This shows the current popularity of the trend and predicts a promising future for the movement in the years to come.