Paikallinen ruoka: marginaalinen ilmiö vai tulevaisuuden trendi?

Abstrakti

Both academics and rural activists tend to regard
local food as an important countertendency to the
globalisation of food provision. This article investigates
the concept of local food, its position in the
changing consumer demand and its potential as a
resource in rural development. It is emphasised
that the dominant production-centred research
approaches are not sufficient in assessing the prospects
for local food, but it is essential to pay attention
to the empirical findings on changing consumption
patterns. Most investigations concerning the
potential of local food do not derive from a careful
analysis of changes in consumers’ values and preferences.
The review on trends in demand suggests
that assessments of the prospects of local food are
probably overly optimistic due to the fact that motivations
of consumers’ choices are actually diversified
and contradictory. In Finland, for instance, health and
environment are not the key issues in demand for
local food, but a consumer’s interest to give support
to the local economy is more important. Thus, the
position of local food in the food provision is linked
to such issues as local identity and consumers’ commitment
to their home regions.