photo of greens and seedlings in boxes ready for delivery
Seedlings and food ready for delivery at the Unity Food Hub in Maine earlier this summer.

The concept of regional food hubs has been around for a while, but it’s only in the past five years or so that people have started talking about them as solutions for urban food access. They’re growing in popularity in larger cities like Washington, DC, Chicago, Detroit and Seattle, but do they make sense for Worcester?

A lot of local folks think so.

In February, a presentation on building a regional food hub for Worcester attracted a diverse range of partners and local stakeholders. Hosted by the Worcester Chamber of Commerce and the Regional Environmental Council, the panel discussion focused on the benefits of a regional food hub for local small farmers and area businesses and institutions.  The takeaway from the event was clear: a well-designed regional food hub can provide the underlying infrastructure that makes our food distribution system work better for all involved partners.

What is a food hub?

According to the National Food Hub Collaboration,

a food hub is a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source-identified food products primarily from local and regional producers in order to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand

That’s a mouthful. In simpler terms:

a food hub is a business or organization that serves as a central connector between local food producers and local stores, restaurants, wholesalers and institutions that want to increase the local food choices they provide to consumers. It means

  • more access to larger markets for farmers
  • more access to local foods for businesses
  • more delicious, healthy local food choices on menus and market shelves for consumers.

Aren’t Farmers Markets and CSAs Enough?

In a word, no. We love and support farmers markets and CSAs, and are thrilled that Worcester provides so many opportunities for all residents to buy direct from farmers. But farmers markets and CSAs can only go so far in providing healthy, local foods for all of our residents – and they have some limitations for small to medium-size farms as well. Here are some of the pros and cons of each farmer-to-consumer model.

Farm to Table – Three Models Comparison

Model Pros Cons
Farmers Markets
  • farmers sell direct to consumers
  • consumers know where food comes from
  • increase access to healthy local foods for consumers
  • provide market for small farmers and crafters
  • serve as community gathering places
  • limited schedule for consumers
  • time-intensive marketing for farmers
  • direct-to-consumer sales are less reliable
  • small volume sales can be restrictive for some farmers
  • small individual farms may not produce in volume needed for institutional/retail/wholesale sales
CSAs
  • provide farmers with funds needed up front
  • consumers build relationship with farmer and know food source
  • farmers can choose most productive/profitable  crops
  • may introduce unfamiliar but nutritious crops to consumers
  • up front buy-in cost may be a barrier to many consumers
  • consumers must be available at scheduled times
  • farmers must package foods and deliver on a schedule
  • consumers have little choice in weekly produce selection
Food Hub
  • provide infrastructure for volume sales for farms of all sizes
  • creates job opportunities for local residents
  • provide area retail, wholesale and institutional customers with a reliable source of locally grown produce and foods
  • forges partnerships between farmers and community institutions and business owners
  • increases availability of locally grown foods to consumers through grocery stores and local restaurants
  • provides healthier, locally grown and/or prepared foods  for school and cafeteria lunches
  • Startup costs can be prohibitive
  • Food hubs may take several years to be profitable
  • They require a great deal of planning and administrative support
  • Must have buy-in from multiple community partners
  • Must have a large enough foodshed to support community needs
  • May face competition from national food service suppliers and other traditional suppliers

As this table makes obvious, farmers markets, CSAs and food distribution hubs all have very different roles in a sustainable, long-term food plan for any city or region, and all of them offer different benefits and drawbacks. Worcester currently has a thriving farmers market culture and several functioning CSAs, and would benefit greatly from a a local food hub. In a later post, we’ll highlight 10 reasons that a food hub makes sense for Worcester.

Related Articles

1 reply added

  1. Judy Knight August 18, 2015 Reply

    Ongoing discussions and proposals can work towards creating the connections necessary to support regional food producers, and will serve to highlight the desirability of ready access to more locally produced and healthier food choices; especially in terms of vegetables
    .

Leave your comment