Web2.0, data, and food supply
Filed under: Local/sustainable/organic Resources, Nutrition 2.0
Here is a great article by Harlan Hentges that I managed to miss from July: http://www.organiclawyers.com/blog/farming-and-ranching/17-are-we-headed-for-a-food-fight.html
It is a brief piece on big agriculture versus the alternative food movements, and how they are intertwined and need to capture the big picture from data available from both market perspectives.
A couple of points I want to highlight:
While some farmers and consumers have come together, the process is not efficient or profitable. The demand for food of greater value remains unmet because there is simply no easy way for the farmer and the consumer to connect and exchange the information necessary information to coordinate the supply chain and exchange money for products. Coordinating a new supply chain is a daunting task. There must be enough farmers and enough consumers to be economically viable. This will require very efficient access to information that is easy and inexpensive to process, but there is no easily accessible market information about farmers, processors, transporters, retailer, distributors or consumers for food of great value. Thus the demand remains unmet.
Some projects are taking it into their own hands to promote alternative foods with social tools, some of which are highlighted in our Local/sustainable/organic Resources category.
Industrialized agriculture will not destroy the cultural value of local, farm-raised food. An alternative food system will not destroy the economic profitability of industrialized agriculture. The industrial model and the alternative model do not embody each others destruction.
Instead, each embodies the key to the other’s success. An alternative food supply chain now appears to be possible due to information technology. In the way that social networking sites have transformed the coordination of our social lives by giving us extraordinary ability to access, process and exchange information, related technologies could enable the coordination of new, smaller and more valuable food supply chains. On the other hand, the existing food system could be transformed it recognized the usefulness of data related to farms and farmers, the welfare of animals, and the environment. If consumers, farmers and all supply chain participants were provided with the data and permitted to respond to social and cultural values the industrialized system would change and produce food of greater value.
The local food movement understands the information related to the values of producers and consumers, and will soon have access to technology needed to gather and process this data. The information age is reaching the food industry.
(via @MiNutrition)
Know your farmer, know your food
Filed under: Local/sustainable/organic Resources, Nutrition 2.0
Greetings Health & Nutrition 2.0 readers. I am pleased to join Colby in contributing to this very important site. It is crucial for health professionals to utilize technology to reach a rapidly changing population. I have found this site extremely useful and hope my contributions enhance the site.
I wanted to announce USDA’s award of $4.8 million to help support community food projects under the “know your farmer, know your food” initiative. As an RD who has a background in agriculture and food systems, I know the importance of people knowing how food got to their plate. I once asked a group of children, “where do hamburgers come from?” and one unknowingly answered, “the grocery store.” While he was half-correct, teaching people their connection to food can ultimately lead to positive health outcomes and increased environmental protection.
Again, I am please to join the site and please don’t hesitate to comment on posts, as conversations and questions are keys to learning.
Bored eating the same veggies? Trade ‘em in with VeggieTrader
Filed under: Local/sustainable/organic Resources, Nutrition 2.0
VeggieTrader.com is a great example of the power of social networking in filling a food niche. The site, started only less than half a year ago already has a lively community of over 7,000 members. So what is it?
Using Veggie Trader is free and easy. It works like classified advertising. You post a listing describing the excess produce you have and what you’d like in return, and then you wait for a response…
Or, if you’re looking for local produce, you simply enter your zipcode and see what your neighbors have available. You can also post specific produce you’re looking for in our Wanted section and see which of your neighbors answers your request. [http://www.veggietrader.com/howitworks.php]
What is maybe most incredible about this project is that it is run by apparently only 3 people, motivated by observations of wasted food that others could use. All listings are free to post, including for farms and farmer’s markets. This is encouraging for the smaller, local businesses to advertise and is another important step for a transition to knowing exactly where our food is coming from.
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/veggietrader
Localharvest.org
Another great resource for local foods: Localharvest.org
The best organic food is what’s grown closest to you. Use our website to find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies. Want to support this great web site? Shop in our catalog for things you can’t find locally!
Read about them here: http://www.localharvest.org/about.jsp
About LocalHarvest
LocalHarvest is America’s #1 organic and local food website. We maintain a definitive and reliable “living” public nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources. Our search engine helps people find products from family farms, local sources of sustainably grown food, and encourages them to establish direct contact with small farms in their local area. Our online store helps small farms develop markets for some of their products beyond their local area.
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/localharvestorg
It contains some unique features that I haven’t seen on similar sites, such as events, forums, and blogs. They also have over 6000 items sold from small family farms in their store to order online.
Eatwellguide.org: Find local, sustainable, and organic food
A quick look at a great resource for local foods: http://www.eatwellguide.org. According to the website:
The Eat Well Guide® is a free online directory for anyone in search of fresh, locally grown and sustainably produced food in the United States and Canada.
Eat Well’s thousands of listings include family farms, restaurants, farmers’ markets, grocery stores, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, U-pick orchards and more. Users can search by location, keyword, category or product to find good food, download customized guides, or plan a trip with the innovative mapping tool, Eat Well Everywhere. Eat Well is also home to The Green Fork blog and the free educational booklet Cultivating the Web: High Tech Tools for the Sustainable Food Movement.
Together with the enterprising spirits of independent farmers, locally owned businesses and partner organizations, the Eat Well Guide’s collaborative technology harnesses the power of the web to effect social, environmental and economic change, and maps the route to a more sustainable food system.
Read more about their values and history here: http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?id=About
And here is a short video exploring its features:
http://www.screentoaster.com/watch/stVUNcREVIR1xfRF1YWllbV1BQ/tutorial_exploring_eatwellguide_org
Foodzie.com: changing the way we eat
Foodzie is a perfect example of how a Web2.0 start-up can change the nutrition landscape and have an impact on how we purchase food. I will be watching this one closely to see how it takes off, especially with certain high profile social media users spreading the word. About foodzie:
We are an online marketplace where you can discover and buy food directly from small passionate food producers and growers. We are a part of a bigger mission, to help change the way people eat. Our small piece of that mission is to help the small food producers across the country find customers and grow their business. We believe that instead of a small number of large food companies there should be a large number of small food companies. We’re a bit obsessed with good food and passionate about connecting those that like to eat it with the people that make it. Learn more about our team. [http://foodzie.com/about]
They were among Businessweek.com’s top picks for “Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs of 2009.”
Foodzie helps bridge the gap by handling credit-card processing and tax calculations and supplying prepaid shipping labels to the makers of grass-fed beef, sea salt caramels, and Sumatra coffee that populate its site. In return, Foodzie takes 20% of sales. Next up: tools to help bloggers and serious eaters promote Foodzie on Facebook and other sites. [http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/04/0421_best_young_entrepreneurs/4.htm]
Here is a short video of the founders:
A screenshot of the website:
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/Foodzie
Clearly they know how to leverage the power of social media with integrated sharing links, and I like that each seller adds a personal profile so you can see exactly who you are buying from. Not to mention the foods just look really, really good.
Find farmer’s markets near you
Check out the USDA’s Farmer Market Search: http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets/
Includes address, contact, times, and if they accept WIC, SFMNP, and SNAP. A great resource to pass on to friends, family, or clients alike.
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Join the Nutrition 2.0 FriendFeed room to further discuss these topics: http://friendfeed.com/nutrition20 -