Of course, "local" needs a definition. Easy enough for raw/whole foods, like fruits and vegetables - harder for processed foods, which might be made in the A2 area, but from ingredients shipped in from elsewhere. For now, and unless a case is made for otherwise, I suggest that processed foods oughta be produced locally to count, with locally-sourced ingredients giving super extra bonus points. If it is found that there are a significant number of processed food items that come from local ingredients, we can revise.

Tough call. For example, how would you class Zingerman's Roadhouse? They use a lot of local stuff (they even make their own cheeses and butter, which is pretty extreme) but they also source from a lot of other places. 141.214.17.5 13:48, 27 Apr 2006 (PDT)

Does Jiffy Mix count as local? I don't know where they source all of their grain, but certainly you can't beat having the silo right in town. (Never mind how processed some of their stuff is.) Edward Vielmetti 23:54, 28 Apr 2006 (PDT)

-> I'd count Jiffy / Chelsea Milling. But then, I grew up in Chelsea; we got to go on a plant tour in 4th grade, see the assembly line, and so forth. Jiffy Mix is still my choice for brownies-from-a-box. AFAIK, they do the entire production process there, and that's a valuable piece of a food system to have in place. I vote yes, local. (Though what I really want is a local source of grains and flours in consumer quantities. Like a Michigan Bob's Red Mill.) -Murph.