locavore

American  

[loh-kuh-vawr, ‑-vohr] / ˈloʊ kəˌvɔr, ‑ˌvoʊr /

noun

1. a person who makes an effort to eat food that is grown, raised, or produced locally, usually within 100 miles of home.

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Etymology

Origin of locavore

loca(l) + -vore, on the model of carnivore, herbivore; coined in 2005 by Jessica Prentice (born 1968), American chef, author, and cofounder of Three Stone Hearth, a community-supported kitchen in Berkeley, California

Explanation

A locavore is someone who tries to limit their diet to food that was grown nearby. Locavores who live in Vermont, the largest producer of maple syrup in the U.S., might use the sweet syrup instead of sugar as a sweetener. A restaurant with a menu that explains exactly where each locally grown item of food came from is a dream for locavores. They do their best to eat fruit, vegetables, dairy, and meat that come from local farms. A locavore who lives near the coast might also include fish, shellfish, seaweed, and sea salt in their diet. The California chef Jessica Prentice is given credit for coining locavore in 2005 from local and the Latin vorare, "devour."

Example Sentences

This dish, colored with saffron and perfumed with warm spices, was inspired by a meal I recently enjoyed in Rafidi’s luxuriously updated restaurant, and shares his locavore approach.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025

Roman's invasivorism idea took a while to catch on, but eventually it started gaining traction — thanks, in part, to the locavore movement that started to emerge around 2005.

From Salon • Jul. 20, 2023

It’s too much of a throwback and too global, they say — can a world of pristine locavore food photos on Instagram make room for the grime and logistics of international cattle raising and killing?

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2022

The town is an ideal jumping-off point for a long weekend to wander the trails, beaches, swimming holes and locavore delights along the strait to Port Renfrew.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 24, 2022

If you want to get a real taste of the place you’re visiting, don’t make a reservation at the hippest-looking locavore restaurant you find on Instagram.

From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2022