“A LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM is not so much about how far a particular piece of food travels from producer to consumer. It is more about a community having control over who pays for the hidden costs of our food. These costs can include the environmental impact of the production and distribution of the food as well as the health care costs associated with eating low quality food. It also includes recognizing that workers from one end of the food chain to the other are the poorest paid employees in society and the corporations that benefit from these low wages often pass along the gap between actual wages and living wages to the government in the form of ‘welfare.’ A LOCAL food system creates the platform for a community to collectively and transparently decide what their ‘food priorities’ are and who should bear the burden of any inequity.”

Marty, Edwin.” Definition of Local Food Systems.” Lexicon of Food.

Source: Connecticut Food System Alliance

Real Food Wheel. Digital image. Real Food Challenge.