Abstract
Local food labeling programs provide transparency and help consumers select products that will benefit the local food system. Establishing a local food label can increase consumers’ ability to make informed decisions about food purchasing and provide transparency and benefits (e.g., financial and physical health) to the community. This exploratory research project collaborates with a local community organization and university researchers to determine the feasibility of implementing a local food labeling program in the Greater Wilmington North Carolina Region. Three different methods were used to collect data on a labeling program’s feasibility: consumer surveys, consumer focus groups, and key informant interviews (chefs, grocers, and farmers). Findings suggest that most respondents recognize the importance of local food, favor creating a local food label and that consumers are willing to pay more for local food. Key informants indicated the importance of having an informed customer, and both consumers and producers expressed concerns about how the label would be implemented. Definitions of local tended to vary across respondents. Specifically, the salient factor of spatial distance in what constitutes “local” ranged from county to state reference/preference points.
