It seems the buzzwords are on everybody’s lips these days: "Eat fresh, buy local"; "The 100-mile diet," a reference to seeking out food produced close to home.

Local food is finding increasing favour across North America, an indication of consumer rebellion to eating frozen, preserved and packaged products shipped in from who-knows-where under who-knows-what quality and safety controls.

With a growing emphasis on good health, those who eat daily - and that covers pretty well all of us - want to know exactly what they’re ingesting.

The movement is equally advanced in Eastern Ontario where, for example, for the first time in decades we’re seeing the reverse of the previous trend of local cheese factories closing down to competition from, or assimilation by, global conglomerates.

Two new on-farm specialty cheesemakers are already in business and, almost simultaneously, new factories are poised to open within months near Picton and near Lancaster, both of them coincidentally owned and operated by women.

Or is it coincidence? At the risk of being accused of sexism even though I’m about to mete out a major compliment, could it be that women are just naturally more aware of good nutrition than men, most of whom are satisfied with a slab of meat?

These factories won’t make cheddar. They’re carving out a niche in high-end artisan cheeses for which nutritionally aware consumers are prepared to pay a premium.

The shift to local food is also clear in the rapid expansion of seasonal farmers’ markets right across the province, including a new one at Lansdowne Park in the heart of the City of Ottawa.

Price is not a factor at the markets, Bob Chorney, of the umbrella organization Farmers Markets Ontario, told the recent Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation conference held in Belleville.

Customers want fresh food while socializing and supporting local farmers, Chorney said.

He called the concept a "sleeping giant" which can do nothing but expand.

Quick onto the bandwagon with fresh local food promotional campaigns are Lanark County and the City of Ottawa.

In an effort to promote wholesome homegrown vegetables, fruit, meat and cheeses, Ottawa will soon give qualified vendors in two venerable city-operated markets an official stamp of approval.

It’s part of the "Savour Ottawa" program. Once vendors have been certified as growing their wares in Ottawa soil, they’ll be issued special signage and stickers.

The city is trying to position its two main markets - 180-year-old Byward and 84-year-old Parkdale - as destinations of choice for shoppers seeking the output of local producers.

The new city campaign is intended to distinguish legitimate local growers from sellers who purchase their products from wholesalers and try to pass themselves off as farmers.

Greater Ottawa also boasts Lansdowne and several other weekend summer markets where self-imposed regulations already require that participants produce their own wares.

A bylaw covering the new program is expected to pass through city council early in 2008 and to be in place just in time for May market season.

Meanwhile, in Lanark County, the seeds have been planted for a new initiative to help shoppers identify products from local farms.

By displaying a special logo, farmers, retailers and restaurants can benefit from increased awareness and demand for local food products, says Cheryl Nash of ecoPerth who’s part of the "Lanark Local Flavour" campaign intended to increase visibility of county food in the marketplace.

Participating farmers are encouraged to use a special logo and additional material to promote and market their products; partner retailers and restaurants display the same logo on their menus and shelves to identify the local foods they offer.

While it may not seem like a big deal, the environmental activists in ecoPerth maintain that buying locally produced food in season is one of the easiest and most effective means of helping to combat climate change.

That’s because a lot of energy is expended and greenhouse gas emitted in shipping food around the globe. Back in the 1960s, before significant global warming, about 70 per cent of food consumed was produced locally, ecoPerth points out.

While the "Local Flavour" campaign addresses growing consumer demand for fresh local food, it also strengthens the local agricultural economy, Nash emphasizes.

"Based on data from the 2001 census, if every household in Lanark County decided to buy only 10 per cent of its annual food budget directly from local farms, this would add $12.7-million to our farmers’ bottom line."

A discussion about how the campaign will roll out will take place at the Lanark Local Flavour Meet & Greet coming up at the Legion Hall in Almonte Nov. 12 beginning at 1 p.m.

The event is for both growers and commercial users of food. As an extra incentive to attend, samples of great local Lanark County food will be served.