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Locally grown fruits and vegetables are usually sold within 24
hours of being harvested. Produce picked and eaten at the height of ripeness
has exceptional flavor and, when handled properly, is packed with nutrients.
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What is foodroutes.org?
Foodroutes.org is a project of FoodRoutes Network (FRN). FRN is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the advancement of community-based, local food systems that are ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially just. We promote this vision through the strategic use and development of replicable communications, planning, evaluation, and research tools and models. Our programs include "buy local" campaign development, national polling research, message development, foodroutes.org, and implementation strategies for state and local food system policies funded by the Farm Bill.
Why Change the American Food Production System?
The way food is grown affects every aspect of our lives: not just the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe, but also our health and the health of our children. Where and how food is produced determines whether or not communities thrive and whether we can enjoy scenic landscapes and open space. The professional domain of some, the food system is more and more the legacy of us all, depending on the choices we make both as food consumers and as citizens.
What is FoodRoutes Doing to Change the American Food System?
FRN focuses its programmatic work at both the national and local food systems levels. At the national level, FRN undertakes projects that provide needed research, tools, and models to support the efforts of regional and local foodshed organizations. Specific activities at the national include:
- Conducting research and analysis of market opportunities and policy formation
critical to local food systems.
- Developing and researching local food systems messages to inform regional educational campaigns and message development targeted toward the food buying public.
- Creating web-based tools and effective models for wide-scale dissemination.
- Developing communications and marketing toolkits to assist local food and farming advocates in communicating with their constituencies about where their food comes from and the importance of supporting their local food system.
At the local level, FRN works collaboratively with multiple organizations to add value to local, state, and regional foodshed initiatives by contributing innovative communications, planning, and evaluation strategies to create replicable, cost-effective models that can be widely disseminated. Evaluating the impacts of initiatives and sharing lessons learned is an integral part of this model-building process. Specific activities at the local level include:
- Working in collaboration with grassroots food and farming organizations to generate
"Buy Local" campaigns
- Increasing public awareness about the benefits of pasture-raised and other sustainable meat, dairy, and poultry products
- Providing information about where to purchase these and other sustainable food products from local food producers (through printed and electronic directories)
- Communicating the multiple benefits of agriculture
- Supporting eco-labeling initiatives
- Promoting Fair Trade principles at the local and regional levels
Contact Information
For more information about the FoodRoutes Network please contact: Tim Schlitzer (tims@foodroutes.org) at (570) 638-3608.
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