Glossary

Artisanal - Non-industrial; made by hand.

Commodified Food - Industrially produced food sold in markets governed by undifferentiated price competition.

Commoditize - To make a product or service into a commodity.

Community-Based - Having strong ties to a community by virtue of participation in the community.

Community Building - Intentional development of a community’s resources, especially its social resources.

Community Stewardship - Caring for a community's resources.

Conscious Buying - Attention to the social and environmental impacts of purchases.

Co-Producers - Businesses that contribute to the production of food through direct relationships with producers.

Food Dollar - The portion of a household's, enterprise's or community's budget spent on food.

Food Value Chain - The businesses involved in the production, processing, distribution and retailing of farm and food products.

Institutional Food Service - Food service in end-use institutions such as hospitals and schools.

Leakages (or Spending Leakages) - Dollars leaving an economy from purchases made from businesses located outside the community.

Linkages - Connections or relationships between enterprises and consumers.

Locavore - A consumer who directs his or her spending toward locally produced foods, goods and services.

Locally Directed Spending - Purchasing from community-based enterprises in preference to buying from businesses headquartered outside a region, but which may have local operations, such as a retail store.

Local Food Economy - The network of community-based food businesses.

Organic - Food grown according to pre-defined standards, which include the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin and excluding chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics and pesticides.

Purveyor - Business that furnishes food to the general public, such as a restaurant or grocery store.

Small-Lot Variety - Variability from lot to lot of product produced in small lots.

Stakeholders - People who have a share or an interest, as in an enterprise or a community.

Sustainability - The ability to maintain a just and healthy system over the long term.