Lauren Sleeger, director of Rathbone, said Lehigh’s affiliation with The Common Market, a nonprofit regional food distributor in Philadelphia that connects institutions like Lehigh with local, sustainable family farms and producers, has been a “game-changer."
Wellness programs at companies are still figuring out what works best for employees. Whether it’s a gym membership, fresh fruit days or healthier options in cafeterias, every company approaches the movement differently. To help out, one Pennsylvania nonprofit has been selling farm fresh products directly to workplaces.
"The SQF certification includes a validation process that makes sure food safety control systems have been implemented effectively."
Community supported agriculture, or CSA, was created to connect food producers and consumers by allowing consumers to purchase “shares” of a farm’s seasonal harvest. The consumer then gets a weekly or bi-weekly delivery of fresh local produce, dairy products, meats, and more! This system is highly beneficial to both the consumer and the producer.
"Today’s consumers are expecting more from their food, and that means expecting more from the entire food chain. While the majority of food service providers in the institutional marketplace would prefer to offer their patrons fresh, local food, the issue of getting certifiably safe products from independent producers is a major hurdle. For The Common Market Georgia, that’s no longer a problem."
"Based in Atlanta, The Common Market Georgia is the only local food hub in the region to receive the Safe Quality Foods certification and is second only to its flagship The Common Market Mid-Atlantic, which became the first local food hub in the nation to receive the certification in 2016."
"Even though it may not always feel like it, spring is coming, and we can’t wait. I mean, what’s there not to love? Sunshine? Sure. No need to bundle up every time you step out the door? Yeah, that’s a plus. And of course, all that fresh, bright, and delicious spring produce. And what better way to score produce than by supporting your local farms through a CSA?"
Amid a growing economy of subscription-based businesses, “CSA” has become a bit of a buzzword, and we urge you not to lose the true meaning of what it is: a symbiotic partnership between member and farmer.
As The Common Market prepares to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its first delivery and looks toward major expansions, it serves as a case study for what’s possible.
“Food touches every part of our lives,” says Georgia director Lily Rolader. “It’s reaching you at the hospital down the road or where you drop your kids off at school. We want to create the infrastructure to make it possible for farmers to move food and make it easy for our customers to get good food.”
"There is open dialogue with the grower and you feel as though Common Market has the grower's success and sustainability in mind."
— Steve Frecon, Co-Owner, Frecon Fruit Farms