Local food is great. What’s not to like? Anyone would agree with the statement that buying from the farmer down the road is a good thing.

But during the past decade or so, since the advent of the term “locavore,” we have found that “local” is in the eye of the beholder. While some consumers assiduously measure “food miles,” others care only whether the food was grown within their state. Still other consumers consider “local” to be a synonym for a region — the Pacific Northwest, the West Coast or even just the West. Others believe “local” equals “Product of the U.S.”

And so it goes.

That’s why we watched with interest as the Washington House of Representatives passed a bill calling for a “food policy forum” whose job it would be to promote “local” food.

One legislator stated that local food will make people slimmer and healthier.

And, we should add, it’ll help them jump tall buildings in a single bound.

The lone advantage of food grown near the consumer is a smaller fuel bill for the truck. Beyond that, it’s difficult to see how food grown across the region is any better, or worse, than any other food.

Rep. Vincent Buys, the ranking Republican on the House Agriculture Committee, summarized our thoughts.

“To somehow imply our large-scale agriculture products are unsafe or not as … high quality as some of the locally produced agriculture products, I think, does a disservice to the state, and I think is offensive to a lot of those farmers who work those long hours and create a high-quality product. They just don’t do it on a smaller scale,” he said.

Seasonality is another issue. Unless you live in California, try finding a locally grown strawberry in January. Other than what’s available from a greenhouse, locally grown strawberries — or many other types of produce — are available only a portion of the year, usually late summer and fall. Some fresh fruits and vegetables store well and are available year-round, but the list is short.

In the meantime, a cornucopia of produce, products and meats are available, no matter what season it is, at the neighborhood grocery store. It is part of a “food system” that offers a vast selection of fresh produce and meats at reasonable prices and is the envy of the world.

The Capital Press, based in Salem, is a sister publication to the Wallowa County Chieftain.