Locavore: word of the year

The New Oxford American Dictionary has prepared for the holidays by making its annual announcement: the 2007 word of the year is locavore. The nomination is due to the resurgence of the use of locally grown ingredients and subsequent purchase of seasonally available food.

The locavore movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or pick or grow their own food, based on the argument that fresh, local produce is more nutritious and often tastes better. Locavores also avoid supermarkets as an environmentally friendly measure, since shipping food over long distances (typically 1,500 miles per item) requires more fossil fuel for transportation.

The word locavore combines eating and ecology in a new way, illustrating how foodies can enjoy what they eat while taking measures to reduce their environmental footprints. The term emerged two years ago when a group of women in San Francisco proposed that local residents should try to eat only food grown or produced within a 100-mile radius and ‘celebrate their foodshed.’ The movement is designed to both raise awareness about sustainable agriculture and reconnect people with the farmers and farms that produce their food.

Eating locally is a step toward a greener, more energy-efficient lifestyle and a terrific way to support your local economy. There’s also something to be said for the type of food that grows in your climate; it may just be what your body needs most. The locavore’s pledge is: If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then organic; if not ORGANIC, then family farm; if not FAMILY FARM, then local business; if not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then fair trade. This prompts the question: could you go locavore?