There is a lot of talk these days about buying local or eating local. But what does this really mean? Is it linked to sustainability or organic food? Here at AUIP we thought we would do some research into this concept and bring you a series of blogs on the subject.

Firstly, what is local food? Loosely defined, local purchasing is a preference to buying locally produced goods and services over those produced more distantly. For example, here in Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand, buying produce from farmers markets that is supplied from nearby farms rather than buying from a fruit and vegetable store that gets their produce from the North Island of New Zealand or overseas. On a national level however, the equivalent of local purchasing is import substitution or the deliberate creating of policy that results in only selling produce from ones country instead of importing food from other countries for sale. We all know that at certain times of the year it is more expensive to buy some fruit and vegetables than others so the concept of buying local is linked to some degree to the concept of seasonality. For some parts of the year, or for some products that thrive in the local climate, it may be possible to buy closer to home or even grow at home. At other times, or for less common products, an expanded reach may be required.

So the term local is certainly flexible, but the basic concept is simple: local foods are produced as close to home as possible.

If you’re a student on one of the upcoming Wintermester Programs check out where there will be Farmers Markets on whilst you’re here: http://www.farmersmarkets.org.nz/

Next week we’ll be looking at benefits to buying food locally and then the local challenge.