I believe there was/is a trial UK area, where "carbon miles" are applied to the product details in the supermarket(carbon cost to get the product to the store). As there may be a tax on carbon anyway this could be linked for those that want a tax. Or supermarkets currently provide things like "65c per 100g" so that we can compare value, the same could happen for "carbon miles" and the consumer can choose to make the enviro choice.

Looking at the image you have above, I like the colour gradient. Stickers that range from dark orange to light yellow. (or any two colours) could indicate distance to farm.

I don't quite understand what makes "local" food superior. If the goal is fresh food, why not encourage that directly instead of focusing on "local"? If the goal is reducing pollution from transit, they why not simply tax all transit? (Trucks pollute whether they carries food or not). Simply because food is local does not mean it will be produced any more efficiently. Often, local food can take more energy and water than imported food, and could reduce the welfare of less well off farmers in other locations.

Assuming there is something special about local food, imposing additional special taxes and labeling laws seems particularly onerous given the ethereal benefits sought. An alternative would be a voluntarily labeling by local producers themselves.

I don't understand how taxing food and increasing labeling costs increases "food security." Raising food prices would appear to have the opposite effect. Is the idea that there could be an apocalypse in which the locals can only rely on the food grown nearby? To the contrary, diversity of food sources reduces the risk that any one event will threaten food security.

This idea also faces legal hurtles. Nation states have negotiated to reduce tariffs and other restrictions on trade. This tax (or a labeling requirement) would constitute an impermissible protectionist measure.

I'm a bit skeptical of the labels design. It directly links to a militant aesthetic and whenever I think of military and food the result isn't the most appetizing thing in the world. I love the idea of clearly broadcasting that food is produced locally, it gets me excited and plays upon a community pride. With that in mind the label needs to play off of that pride, perhaps even incorporating some sort of symbol or signifier that is relevant to each community. This way when/if the campaign is continued into other communities each one feels fresh and local, reflecting the quality and origin of the food.

I love that this idea connects branding with legislation. Legislation usually takes a while, but I think this moves in the right direction. Government (by way of party politics) often forgets that they are a brand too. This is a great way to introduce a fun concept that will be universally understood.

Nice idea Ben, I particularly like the design of the labels. I'm working on something scarily similar at the moment! I agree with Susan and David that it needs to be part of a larger education / behaviour change campaign that clearly defines the issue on a level your 'average' consumer can engage with, then gives them a tool which shows them how easy it is to fix i.e. the labels, recipes etc I came across a great book in my research: How to Win Campaigns - Chris Rose which may interest you. Positive reinforcement is the best.

As you say, it also needs to consider the wider supply chain infrastructure. For example, quite a lot of food from the Sunshine Coast gets shipped to Brisbane warehousing and distribution centres before it's transported back up here for retail. To prevent this we need better wholesale and distribution systems to stop the food leaving the local area in the first place. That's certainly where I'm having the biggest sticking points with my strategy, the bottom up approach can only go so far until the system needs a redesign!

Love your work Ben. Good luck :-)

Write a commentHello Ben, congrats on being selected to the final 20! good luck!

Iam a late entrant too like Taylor.

I have a few observations on this idea.

+ Firstly, It would be good to see labels which say 'I'm NOT from far away' rather than other wise. The reason is that, in this modern world where trade is increasingly internationalised, people are fairly aware of the fact that food is increasingly imported and exported. This means that people would not quite bother if the food read that it has travelled half the globe.

+ Another point, one which i am sceptical about is the level of impact such a label will have on the consumer. Will the consumer actually relate his consumption with its production?

+ Introducing taxation will certainly increase the chances of adoption. But again, in this modern globalized world, restriction of imports are seen as a major obstacle to growth. Hence, not being in favour of it might face some oppositions.

But, having said that, i really reckon this model should work well for small quantities of trade, basically, trades that will not cannibalise others'.

Good Luck
Srini

Hi Ben, I'm a little late to the food challenge so forgive me if this has already been discussed. But, rather than include the "I am from far away" label, why not just include on the label the state/province/region where the product originated (similar to how some wine shops organize based on grape region)? That would leave consumers to decide the importance of going local. Perhaps stores could even include a short description of the region and it's local products to encourage connectivity.

Hi Ben— I realize this is only in a conceptual stage, but labeling food to deter consumers from purchasing could present a major problem in regards to 'free market' laws. No? It reminds me of labeling cigarettes with health warnings. But food from far away has no direct risks for the consumers. In the long run, yes; The more fuel that is used to transport food hurts the environment resulting in an increase in global warming. But, that is an extremely long explanation to tack onto a product that is completely legal. If there were to be any labels on the imported foods, it would have to be much more subtle.

As an adult and as a child, I have always been fascinated by cartoons. How about collaborating with RMIT University as someone else suggested or another art program to create 1-minute cartoon shorts that will a) all be posted on YouTube b) be shown as a part of elementary and middle school curriculum? Fruits and vegetables could have personalities, some with tags and some without tags. Each cartoon short could deliver one reason why consumers should buy local. Craft a tag line or sound at the end of the short and display the logo of what to look for in the store. If the cartoon is pitched more as a Public Service Announcement, maybe the local education districts can download them and show them as a part of curriculum around gardening or learning about their community. Did I mention having these produce characters showing up at fairs, farmers markets, etc. to do interactive activities with kids? Kids can decorate their own tags with the slogan on it and use them as bookmarks...oh the possibilities of rebranding these tags as "cool" outside of the supermarket are endless! Nice font choice, Ben! Be sure to specify the number of kilometers is "local." In the Bay Area, we go by 100 miles. I'm not sure who chose that number, but it certainly is a nice round number. 100 mi = 161 km.

I do like the "I'm local" labeling idea. A few stores do this in my area, and I find it both effective and useful. I wish everywhere had something like this, especially for produce.

This concept plays very well with one of the other ideas: http://www.openideo.com/open/localfood/concepting/building-transparency-app/
If there is already a supply-chain information framework in place, some of your logistical issues might work themselves out. It would be much easier to determine what is local and qualifies for the labeling.

One question: How are you going to tackle processed foods, which will often contain ingredients that aren't local? Will foods get the label if they are "made" locally or only if they contain local ingredients?

Folks at the Ideas Festival in Queensland were excited about this concept. Areas discussed in our workshops that you might like to explore further – innovative avenues for viral reach, potential partners that could amplify the topic and a supporting campaign that might provide more detail on local food issues and . Bring on the builds!

I think that's a nice choice--changing the approach. The taxation idea sounds like it gets tied up with all the pros and cons of free trade agreements, and all the international political issues that brings (assuming you're talking about international food trade, not putting Australia's regions into competition with each other, though if that's the case, let us know--could be good too but would be a different ballgame). Australia and other countries may move toward more protectionist policies about food trade, but that'll be a big thing to get into. I think it's a smart idea to come back to the positive side of voluntary labeling.

The benefits of local foods need to be put out there in awareness and educational campaigns to hit children, primary grocery shoppers, policy makers and the general public. I suggest those go along with the labeling campaign. Once more people know why local food is so much better, the label will have much more appeal--to consumers and producers. It could commend a higher premium for local producers, or if prices between local and foreign foods are equal, the local option could become preferred.

As for the choice of who labels them, I think it would be easy to assign that to the producers as part of their packaging. An authority should authorize the producers who meet the set standards to be able to use the label and police against unauthorized usage.

With a proper system and the right public education campaign, the value of the labels will grow, benefiting consumers, local producers, and encouraging more producers who don't currently meet local standards to change to do so.

On that note, I'd also suggest not just specifying TV (I agree with Anne-Laure and others because TV is so expensive and not always the most appropriate medium to hit your targets), but opening up to finding the most appropriate mix of media. TV may be an element, but probably not the primary one. You'll want to reach out to producers directly to get them to use the labels, but also to be part of promoting the concept. Targeting consumers, you'll probably want to let them know about the label and benefits inside stores, plus in their homes and out around town. Think about places people are used to finding out about grocery specials, like in newspapers with the coupons. I'm sure social media could be employed to let more people get involved in passing the message around, and think about who else would benefit from these labels and where they could be reached and help promote them too, like at farmers' markets, restaurants, local events, non-food places of business that show solidarity for local community, etc. Happy to keep thinking on the right mix. Cris and others had some good ideas below. I think involving schools and other partners is a smart idea, in addition to public-targeted campaigns.

Consumers inform producers by their decisions at the check-out counter. I think this idea goes a long way towards creating that feedback. Hopefully, combined with many of the other ideas here, we can have a big positive influence.

I like this, especially the idea of creating a need through centrally funded advertising, which then creates competition to be associated with doing good... It would be nice if this worked with legislation too. I.e. if the government published new "recommendations" around food and even though not legal requirements, would provide guidelines that companies would not like to be seen to be dodging. Adhering to them could provide comparative advantage..

Brisbane (the largest city in Queensland) is perhaps 70km from the NSW border. You want food trucked in from the next state to attract a sticker and a tax, but food that comes from Townsville (more than 1000km away, but still in Queensland) to not get a sticker and tax?? I'm not convinced this does anything for food security.

I like the idea about the public awareness raising campaign, but agree with several comments below around the legal/trade feasibility of the proposed tax. I don't see this easily flying for a number of reasons, and if anything, including the tax element could pose problems for the labeling-- which *is* a good idea. Also like the notion of gradients or different colours associated with close proximity to production (e.g. green for something with X km distance, yellow for XX km distance, and so on out to red which could be imported from another country.

Hi Ben,
Glad to see your concept on the Shortlist!

I've seen some really effective TV advertisements promoting eating foods from a particular place. One of my very favorites is a series of music videos in claymation promoting California Raisins. They're from the '80s, but they are classic. Here's just two of many that were made:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGLp9c_pNh8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSQRGdFJg_4

Additionally, you could consider enlisiting the talent of design schools (RMIT, http://www.rmit.edu.au/ ; Melbourne School of Deisgn, http://www.msd.unimelb.edu.au/ ) in Australia to create compelling ads that Australians would look forward to seeing---and that would even go internet viral.

Looking forward to seeing how you refine your concept!

Way to go on making the Shortlist on the Local Food Challenge! Selecting 20 concepts out of over 600 was a tough job and we're excited to have you move through to the Refinement Phase. You can get a low-down on how the phase works over on Field Notes: http://bit.ly/refine_lowdown

Basically over the next 10 days we'd like you to further fine-tune your idea. You might explore opportunities and challenges to implementation, visualise further, expand on engagement strategies or connect various dots and details that would assist bringing your concept into fruition.

If you hit the Update This button on the right of your post, you'll see we've added 5 new fields to help you refine: Concept Builds, Actions, Project Partners, Funding Sources and Virtual Team. Check them out and feel free to keep updating your post throughout the phase – based on feedback and collaboration with fellow OpenIDEATORS and your own ideating goodness!

Hey Ben! So a few questions and thoughts.
First off I LOVE the way you altered your original concept by placing the option of labeling with the producer at a subsidized price. It shifts a certain amount of responsibility to the farmer, which I think will in turn engage them in the campaign and its success in a much greater way.

Now..that said, for this 'TV' campaign to be effective there would have to be SERIOUS investment by the Queensland govt. Broadcast ads are hands down the most expensive, not only to place, but also to produce at a level that would be worth that kind of money.

So what does, say, a $7M ad campaign measure against the added social benefit and monetary return to local farmers. Would a government agree to that? Does the correlation make sense? And here is where I think a TV campaign would most likely fail. I believe a campaign that uses crowdsourcing would be much better.

Use others -- local businesses, schools, restaurants, etc to advertise it for you. Not only is it less expensive, but it also allows for others to take a stake in the project.... This, I believe is what makes the 'Keep Austin Weird' campaign so effective - at it's heart, it has become a value system vs. an ad campaign for a community.

Anyways -- just some thoughts! Cheers and great job!

...which btw ..brings me to think of a collaboration opportunity you may have with Samantha's Farmer and Chef idea...

..Just a thought..

...which btw ..brings me to think of a collaboration opportunity you may have with Samantha's Farmer and Chef idea...

..Just a thought..

Hear I go with being a Devil's advocate again. But Ben, I think the TV advertising campaign just totally sidelines the big idea in there. 'Im not from far away'..there is something greater in that idea than a simple TV campaign! As much as I love the simplicity of this idea...I still feel it's a germ right now. One of the thoughts that come is to turn this germ of an idea into a local phenomenon...something to do with a state funded event that promotes local arts/music/food. Everything about that event could be about being 'not from far away'. This can then be carried forward into food labeling and TV campaigns. People engagement in an event like this might bring about a behavioral change than simply viewing it as an awareness campaign..ya know..

This would probably work well! Similar to how all of our food in the US has to have nutrition facts made producers create "low fat" or "low cal" versions. Also similar to the "Made in the USA" labels that some items have.

Hi Ben,
I really like the "I am not far away" slogan. In addition to it appearing as a TV campaign, I can see it appearing in the form of cool stickers or even placards in supermarkets next to produce sourced from local farms.

Hi, I like the updated concept but I'm wondering why a TV ad campaign? Maybe it's because I don't have a TV. But also from what I know, ad and media agencies are increasingly exploring over media... why not thinking of viral marketing, using social media... it won't change the content, but the medium and the range of people you will access.

Thanks to Matt and Alfredo for the last two comments,

From your opinions it's become clear that certain elements of the concept as it stands are a little convoluted and out of the scope of what the Queensland government would consider beneficial/worthy of pursuing. However what i've noticed is some positive feedback on the idea of labelling, particularly just local products.

I've decided to strip back the concept to something more practical and simple that focuses on the labelling side of the concept, and not the crazy taxes side, who likes taxes anyway!

CONCEPT:
A state funded TV advertising campaign that promotes a fun "I'm not from far away!" label. Local producers within the state have the option of purchasing the government subsidised label to include on their products if they would like to benefit from the exposure of the campaign.

So this is giving local producers a positive incentive to label as opposed to "you shall label or die!" packaging law measures forcing them to do so.

This stems from the following suggestions:

@Alfredo "I think the simple awareness that certain foods are produced locally, and proudly so, can have a significant impact in people buying them in the local supermarket. I think this in and of itself can have a significant impact."

@Matt "An alternative would be a voluntarily labelling by local producers themselves."

@Kirk in the comments at http://3bl.me/vgq82n "If the sticker sets the standard; it is up to the producers whether or not to pursue the certification."

The standard in this case being locality.

Thanks again to @Arjan for that link, and as he suggests, an independent organisation would be best for holding responsibility for the production and distribution of labelling to producers.

Ben, there's something powerful about your idea.
In reading your comments to @JB Reed, the Queensland government can just mandate locally produced foods to be labelled as so (I enjoyed your logo concept) as first goal, that might not be as hard to implement as mandating a tax. I think the simple awareness that certain foods are produced locally, and proudly so, can have a significant impact in people buying them in the local supermarket. I think this in and of itself can have a significant impact.
When it comes to taxing foods from far away this can get complicated very easily, as there are many players involved, and could be a much tougher sell to the Queensland government (as you pointed out yourself).

Nice. I like the way you have combined two thoughts I had into one concept.

Regarding the question from JB Reed, personally I think an independent organisation should be responsible for the labeling. But there has been wide discussion about this in the comments of my 'What's the foodprint' - http://3bl.me/vgq82n - concept and Louise's 'Transparency app' - http://3bl.me/ebwg2t - concept. I suggest you have a look there.

I like the labeling idea. Who would be responsible for the labeling? The grocers? The govt? If grocers, how would you incentivize those people to participate?