1 Defining and Marketing ‘Local’ Foods: Geographical Indications for U.S. Products Daniele Giovannucci, Elizabeth Barham, Richard Pirog ∗ NOT for DISSEMINATION – Review draft only Abstract What are local foods? If you do not know your local producer, then how can you know whether the product you are purchasing is local? These questions are at the heart of an emerging debate in the U.S. about authenticity and the value of local eating. From the menus of its elite restaurants, to urban farmer markets, to the procurement strategy of its largest corporation, ‘local’ is fast becoming an important food category in the U.S. Several distinct forces drive its popularity and yet, in the absence of certain credence attributes to assure what indeed is local, its future is uncertain. This paper explores what defines ‘local’ and how the term is protected in trade. It suggests that Intellectual Property protection is underdeveloped to foster local food product designations. Cases in the U.S. illustrate that some mechanisms do exist to ensure the specific provenance of a food but that these present some notable challenges for both producers and consumers. Improving approaches to Geographical Indications in the US, perhaps learning from the sui generis systems in other countries, could further the development, protection, and success of local products. Keywords Geographical Indications, small producer; sustainable culture; public good; food miles ∗ About the Authors: Daniele Giovannucci, Director Research for the Committee on Sustainability Assessment and team leader of the United Nations International Trade Centre’s Geographical Indications guide. E-mail: d@dgiovannucci.net Elizabeth Barham, Leader of the Missouri Regional Cuisines Project at the University of Missouri. She is internationally known for her research on labels of origin as catalysts for value-added production, rural development and regional tourism. Email: BarhamE@missouri.edu. Rich Pirog, Associate Director, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University, is the lead author of several reports on food miles and consumer perceptions of local foods. E-mail: rspirog@iastate.edu Citation: Giovannucci, Daniele, Elizabeth Barham, Rich Pirog. 2009. Defining and Marketing ‘Local’ Foods: Geographical Indications for U.S. Products. Journal of World Intellectual Property special issue on GIs.