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Oxford Word Of The Year: Locavore
http://blog.oup.com/2007/11/locavore/

Filed in American History , Dictionaries , A-Featured , A-Editor's Picks ,
Economics , Food and Drink , Current Events on November 12, 2007 | Share
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It’s that time of the year again. It is finally starting to get cold (if
you are worried about the global warming maybe you should become
carbon-neutral) and the New Oxford American Dictionary is preparing for the
holidays by making its biggest announcement of the year. The 2007 Word of
the Year is (drum-roll please) locavore.

The past year saw the popularization of a trend in using locally grown
ingredients, taking advantage of seasonally available foodstuffs that can
be bought and prepared without the need for extra preservatives.

The “locavore” movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’
markets or even to grow or pick their own food, arguing that fresh, local
products are more nutritious and taste better. Locavores also shun
supermarket offerings as an environmentally friendly measure, since
shipping food over long distances often requires more fuel for
transportation.

“The word ‘locavore’ shows how food-lovers can enjoy what they eat
while still appreciating the impact they have on the environment,” said
Ben Zimmer, editor for American dictionaries at Oxford University Press.
“It’s significant in that it brings together eating and ecology in a
new way.”

“Locavore” was coined two years ago by a group of four women in San
Francisco who proposed that local residents should try to eat only food
grown or produced within a 100-mile radius. Other regional movements have
emerged since then, though some groups refer to themselves as
“localvores” rather than “locavores.” However it’s spelled,
it’s a word to watch.