Local food: a constellation of perceived proximity

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the definition of local food through the concept of perceived proximity in order to improve the understanding of food locality and to propose a new framework for analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents an exploratory research through 32 semi-structured interviews with six agri-food industry stakeholders carried out in Quebec, Canada. Thematic analysis is used to identify the main dimensions of the proximity of a local food. A conceptual framework based on the results is presented.

Findings

The results suggest that local food can be defined according to nine dimensions of proximity: geographic, process, price, identity, relational, functional, cultural, access and experiential.

Originality/value

This study allows the concept of local food to be broken down into a constellation of perceived proximities and expands the understanding of the differences in the perception of food locality.

Citation

Chicoine, M., Rodier, F. and Durif, F. (2022), "Local food: a constellation of perceived proximity", British Food Journal, Vol. 124 No. 12, pp. 4755-4768. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-11-2021-1252