The Locavore Movement: A Part Of The Alternative Food Movement

The current industrial agricultural system is dominated by monoculture in regards to how food is grown and eventually consumed, and these ideals have slowly begun to seep into the American psyche. However, throughout the past decade, the alternative food movement has begun to raise awareness of how society consumes food. Practices such as sustainable farming and the idea of eating locally grown, organic produce have become more common; yet, they have failed to address the issue of attempting to provide food security for everyone, regardless of status or income level. Although the idea of the alternative food movement has been beneficial in attempting to ensure increasing diversity in the food system, it still has numerous drawbacks. While

Avid supporters of the locavore movement are generally a group of like-minded people with “similar backgrounds, values, and proclivities” and have the wealth necessary to participate in the local food movement (Alkon, Agyemon, 2011). The benefits of the locavore movement are more substantial when the wealth and resources are available, especially considering that farmer’s markets tend to be located within fairly affluent areas (Guthman, 2008). As a result, it is more difficult for low-income families to have access local foods. Furthermore, the cost associated with the consumption of locally grown foods is a limiting factor in the attempt to reduce food insecurity in the United States. For some, it is simply too expensive and time-consuming to purchase and then prepare fresh, local foods, and prepackaged food is more convenient and economically sound. In order for the locavore movement to dramatically impact food insecurity in the United States, it must become more accessible for all of the population, regardless of income level or geographic

In regards to the way food companies are regulated, the government must begin to actively attempt to regulate food production and ensure that companies attempt to donate food that they can no longer sell because it is past its expiration date. The Good Samaritan Act of 1997 states that no company can be sued if they donate a product to a food pantry that is past its expiration date, yet companies continue to throw millions of tons of food away every year. This would allow for the practices of freeganism to begin to impact a larger population because food pantries are less stigmatized than dumpster diving. Additionally, a change must occur in the way that the American public views food and how they make decisions. In order to make food access more uniform and to reduce senseless waste, a dramatic shift must occur. Society must move away from the acceptance of excessive waste, both on the level of the consumer and on the level of the company, and work to redistribute food in order to ensure that everyone is food