What’s local food? You make the call

In the continuing saga of trying to define local food, Maryland is proposing some rules that take a stab at it. But if you're hoping for something like "250-mile radius" or "from within the state," you won't find it there.

A writer on the Washington Post website calls the state's new rules timid in this news account, apparently for not being willing to define the word.

Basically, the proposal tells grocers that if they're going to claim a product is "local," they also have to say what state it's from. But why is that timid? Consumers are going to argue about it anyway, so why shouldn't the state just skip past the arbitrary definition and instead lean toward requiring some actual information about the food's source? Consumers get the information to make a decision.

Next step, require county of origin.

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