Open Source Local Food Marketplace Aims To Make It Easier To Find, Buy, And Sell Sustainable Foods

The Open Food Network wants to change the way we connect with our food, by closing the gap between the consumer and the farmer and making it easier to access local food.  To bring about a sea change in food systems, it's not enough to just buy locally grown food, or to support small farmers in principle, although those efforts certainly help. But to really reconnect with our food and the people who grow it, it's important to be able to buy directly from the farmer, or from a smaller food hub, which can be somewhat difficult if you happen to miss the farmers market or live a fair distance from the farm or market.

With that in mind, a new networked solution could benefit the farmers, the smaller food hubs (distribution network and retail outlets), and the consumer, by connecting them together in a transparent and authentic manner. The Open Food Network (OFN) is designed with the needs of all three of these food system stakeholders in mind, and if it gets the traction it deserves, it could help to turn the food system on its head.

"Lots of people are working to break the stranglehold that supermarkets and large agribusiness have over our food system. We’ve spent 3 years talking with many farmers, producers, eaters and local enterprises (like food hubs, independent retailers and co-ops) about how we can work together to take back control of our food. The Open Food Network is our response. By turning the existing food system on its head, the Open Food Network provides efficient ways for buyers (hubs) to connect with many smaller sellers (producers) and distribute food into their communities."-OFN...