"For many [Georgians], their lack of nutrition isn’t a choice, she says; it’s a lack of access to healthy food options."
"Enter The Common Market Georgia, a nonprofit food distributor designed to soften the financial blow small farmers face when getting into the business of selling to wholesalers while giving wholesale customers access to more locally grown food."
Farm Share is a campus initiative that provides locally-sourced fruits and vegetables along with a dozen certified humane eggs. Farm Share is brought to Tech through a non-profit group, The Common Market, and through a partnership with the Georgia Tech Office of Sustainability.
"On the farmer side, we’ve definitely been told that we have better terms for how we pay than most other folks that they’re working with. We actually let farmers set their own prices rather than tell them what we’ll pay for it. On the customer side, it’s interesting for us seeing someone who’s used to getting all their foods from a US Foods, for example, which is a huge broadline distributor, have something go off in their mind like ‘Oh your prices aren’t higher like I thought they would be.’ "
Harvesting Opportunity: The Power of Regional Food System Investments to Transform Communities is a policy forum to be held August 3, 2017, at the Federal Reserve Board's Wilson Conference Center in Washington, D.C. Forum participants will discuss the use of regional food strategies to advance community and economic development goals, including models for collaboration between policymakers, practitioners, and the financial community. Participants will also explore research, policy, and resource gaps that, if addressed, might contribute to the success of regional food systems strategies.
Lily Rolader has been promoted to director of Common Market Georgia. Rolader is former operations manager at the East Point-based nonprofit food distributor, which delivers local farm food to more than 80 hospitals, schools and grocery stores in Greater Atlanta.
“Lily has been with The Common Market Georgia from the start and played a big role in its growth, embracing the opportunities and overcoming the obstacles that come with any new venture,” said board chair Cicely Garrett. “She is passionately committed to our mission of supporting local farmers and increasing access to their products to all, and she is uniquely qualified to take that vision to its next phase of expansion.”
Altanta native Lily Rolader has been with the local nonprofit food distributor since its 2015 inception
In addition to USDA programs that support efforts to develop and promote new markets for locally and regionally produced food and farm products, Haile discussed in his testimony the work they are doing to build a culture of food safety with the producers they work with. He stressed to the Committee that the next farm bill needs to invest more resources into outreach, training, technical assistance and capacity building as it pertains to food safety and producers.
Tatiana Garcia Granados started The Common Market to bring farm food to her Philadelphia neighborhood. Now she's taking on the nation's broken food distribution system.
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"What I most appreciate is the consistency of the produce. I have yet to experience wilted lettuce or incorrect sizing of products and this is something difficult to find with the “big box” companies. I also appreciate Common Market's passion for developing relationships between the farmers and the chefs."
— Mike Bacha, Executive Chef, Emory University Hospital