There doesn’t seem to be a consensus on what defines artisan food. There are dictionary definitions, and meanings outlined by purported artisan producers which all seem to follow the same theme: skilled, non-industrialised, natural production methods, following traditional recipes focussed on quality rather than quantity, consistency, speed or economics.
At what point do traditional methods become industrialised or non- artisan? Is it possible to produce artisan food in a factory or must it be a barn? Can I produce it in a vat or must it be a bucket? I fear that if this kind of semantic argument is to be applied, then any successful and growing artisan enterprise will eventually class itself out of the farmers market. Perhaps this is an oxymoron. Extremists might argue that the idea of enterprise in itself undermines they very foundations on which artisan production is based.
Ultimately the concise, semantic definition is less important than the meaning that is intended or the meaning that is inferred. A producer may genuinely believe he is an artisan because he is highly skilled and his produce is high quality. This may be regardless of commercially driven alterations to the recipe or technology used in the production. Is artisan heritage enough? No.
The micro-brewer who sources his own hops and barley and who oversees every stage of his beer making to ensure very high quality (often at the expense of consistency) will consider himself an artisan long after his home-brewing kit has outgrown his garage.
I propose (what many would consider the er… ‘bleedin’ obvious’) that it is the artisan him/herself who confers his title on the produce. Without the skills, experience, creativity and passion with which we define him, his produce is less distinct in its field. I fear it is dangerous to associate any other characteristics or qualities with an artisan product.
Whilst it is nice to know that a product has been produced traditionally by an artisan, this label is not enough on its own – for me – to infer great flavour, sound food safety, high standards of animal welfare or whatever quality I consider a priority in each case. On the contrary the cynical amongst us might even worry that some or all of these factors are considered by the artist to be serious threats to his craft.
Out of the Kitchen 
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