RATIONALE
In the United States today, people must go well out of their way and have plenty of disposable income to find and buy food that is not only healthy but also produced in a manner that respects animals and the environment and deals fairly with people all along the way from farm to table. The negative consequences of this fact are now mounting to the point that people from many perspectives, such as health concerns and local commerce interests, are working to build a new “good food” system, one that makes healthy, green, fair, affordable food an everyday reality in every community.

The Wallace Center’s National Good Food Network is designed to meet the need of this good food movement by enabling the development of regional “value chains” - new systems of market relationships, that includes refined processing and distribution infrastructure, to move more good food from farm to table at the regional level, and enables regions to improve good food access in all communities throughout the nation.

This Network brings together diverse value chain leaders from nonprofit organizations and commercial enterprises interested in transitioning from traditional supply chain management to value chain management. The network also engages the philanthropic community in improving good food access for all communities throughout the nation. The network is a connector and enabler, through knowledgeable models and access to funding, for these groups so they can talk, learn, and work with each other toward their common regional good food goals.

OBJECTIVES
The Good Food Network supports and integrates nonprofit and for-profit work to build needed value chains, or relationships, systems, and infrastructure for bringing more good food to more people. Specifically, the network offers:

• Connection —to foster regional initiatives that will bring increased good food into conventional food systems in a way that will ultimately improve good food access for all communities.
• Knowledge—to assemble and connect value chain models and best practices, value chain experts, and opportunities for regional funding in the marketplace with regional network participants.
• Community—to enable network participants how to think beyond the commercial transaction of good food and to become a participant in initiatives that will improve good food access to all communities.
  

The work of building good food values into production and marketing activities involves both community advocates and the business community. The objectives of the Wallace Center’s Good Food Network are to enable and strengthen regional groups by increasing their access to knowledge and resources to do the work of their regions in more impactful ways and ultimately include programs that bring more good food to all communities in their regions.

The Wallace Good Food Network is currently working to strengthen value chain development in four regions nationally, including extensive regional work being done in the Midwest region of Chicago and Michigan. In the first half of 2008, the initiative will send requests for proposals to value chain leaders to assess their interest in forming more formalized regional networks with Wallace Center support.

The National Good Food Network launched successfully December 4, 2007, in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a "Meet the Midwest Buyers" reception at the Great Lakes Fruit and Vegetable Expo.

Nearly 100 food buyers, growers, and industry representatives attended the value-chain gathering, including Whole Foods, Sysco, Sodexho, Meijer Retail Stores, Gordon Food Services, Goodness Green-ness and Testa Produce along with more than 50 environmentally certified growers.

Buyers showed a high level of interest in growers’ products, and some placed orders at the event. The Wallace Center’s regional team has been fully funded through a regional grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to continue work in the region through "grower readiness" training to prepare more farms for participation in value chains.

Commercial enterprise participants in attendance at the event have also worked with the network project director to connect to the region to meet with more growers and distributors in Michigan.  This meeting is occurring February 15, 2008 and will include the Michigan Value Chain Partners, Midwest Buyers, Selected Growers and Area Distributors. Plans will be discussed for the 2008 growing season.

 
CONTACT
Marty Gerencer
Manager, National Good Food Network
Marty@morsemarketingconnections.com
231.638.2981