Local food systems are comprised of networks of actors that work to ensure the sustainability of food supplies within communities. While local food has typically been promoted through direct marketing strategies such as farmers' markets and community-supported agriculture (CSA), retail stores are increasingly carrying and marketing local foods in response to consumer demand and market potential. Given the frequency with which consumers shop at grocery stores, as well as the portion of consumers' food purchases made at these locations, these stores may play a significant role in the success of local agriculture and the shaping of ideology about what is ‘local’. We conducted 27 semi-structured interviews with representatives of food retailers known to source and market local foods in the four major urban centers of Oregon's Willamette Valley. Our results reveal that grocers' perceptions of local food vary significantly from one another. Additionally, our results differed in comparison to the published literature on consumers' and producers' ideas of what constitutes local. Food retailers identified varying distances (frequently a region including several states) that they consider local, as well as diverse reasons for choosing to source and market local foods (most commonly supporting the local economy). Some trends in the variation of responses relate to how the size and form of ownership of the grocery stores influence the level at which decisions are made. These wide-ranging perceptions outline many of the realities of the local food movement, as well as opportunities for change.

Western Oregon's Willamette Valley has a rich history of agricultural production and, like an increasing number of regions globally, a growing local food movement. Recent declines in grass seed markets and an increased consumer interest in local grains have raised the possibility of a transition from grass seed land to edible grain production for local markets. We used geographic information systems (GIS) to determine if the Willamette Valley population's dietary grain needs could be met if current grass seed land were converted to production of soft white winter wheat. In order to explore transitional obstacles and opportunities, we conducted interviews with local farmers, a wholesaler, an agriculture extension worker, and seed developers. The GIS analysis indicated that such a transition could exceed the recommended grain needs of the region's 2008 population. The interviews revealed technical and cultural aspects of transitioning from grass seed production to wheat and other edible crops, identifying insufficient infrastructure (storage, processing, distribution, and market outlets) as the primary barrier to producing for local markets. This combination of GIS analysis (predictive of the food-producing capacity of a region) with in-depth contextual information and practical insights from farmers' voices provides a robust model for planners seeking to analyze and address local food system challenges and possibilities. Our research, while focusing on the Willamette Valley's transition toward a more locally based food system, explores the potential steps for any region looking to transition from nonedible to edible crop production for local consumption.