Processors & Distributors

Packing houses, processors, aggregators and food hubs, brokers and distributors - your businesses are essential to getting food from New York farms to the end customer. Become part of the Farm to Institution supply chain!

Connecting Local Foods with Buyers

Are your customers asking for more locally-grown foods and want to know what farms they are supporting with their food dollars? By partnering with farms, cooperatives and food hubs you can provide them with farm-fresh foods, gain new school, college and other institutional customers, and build your reputation as a supporter of New York agriculture.

Become an approved vendor for New York's Fresh Fruits & Vegetables pilot for schools. Contact Diane Green Office of General Services/Farm to School to learn more.
Processors: Source ingredients from New York farms. Meet ahead of the growing season with farmers and livestock producers to discuss your needs, volume and pricing.
Market your business as a supporter of New York agriculture! Put the names of farms on your web site, product lists and order forms.
To identify potential school customers, check the school districts in your sales territory in the USDA Farm to School census.

Resources

The Public Plate in New York State: Growing Health, Farms and Jobs with Local Food

Boosting public spending on fresh foods grown on New York State farms and served in schools, childcare centers, older adult centers, food pantries and other institutions, has the potential to improve health for more than six million New Yorkers, while increasing economic opportunities across the state. The findings are part of a new report, The Public Plate in New York State: Growing Health, Farms and Jobs with Local Food, by The New York Academy of Medicine and American Farmland Trust.
The Economics of Local Food Systems: A Toolkit to Guide Community Discussions, Assessments and Choices

The Local Food System Toolkit was developed by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to help communities reliably evaluate the economic impact of investing in local and regional food systems. The Local Food System Toolkit provides detailed guidance in seven modules to measure and assess the expected economic impacts of local food investments. Using real-world projects, experiences, and applied research, it provides grounded, credible, and useable assessment methods. The Local Food System Toolkit can be used by policy makers, community leaders, private businesses or foundations to offer specific estimates that will help them decide whether to invest in initiatives that increase local food activity.
Scaling Up - Strategies for Expanding Sales of Local Food to Public and Private Institutions in New York

Recommendations from the Farm to Institution New York State working group on how to increase the purchasing by institutions of New York grown foods.
Locally Grown: Farm to School Programs in New York State

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released a new report, "Locally Grown: Farm to School Programs in New York State," an overview of farm to school in New York State, the challenges facing farm to school programs and suggestions for improving their success.
Growing Opportunity for Farm to School: How to Revolutionize School Food, Support Local Farms, and Improve the Health of Students in New York

This report from American Farmland Trust reveals the incredible economic potential for the New York farm economy of recent farm to school initiatives, as well as their opportunity to increase access to healthy, local food for kids throughout the state.
Finding Food Safety & GAP Certified Farms and Distributors

Learn about the different food safety certification programs and find lists of participating farms to purchase from in New York.
Farm to School USDA Census

Look up School Districts who reported to the 2015 USDA Farm to School Census on their procurement and education activities in 2013-2014, and those who plan to start farm to school programs in the future.

Processors & Distributors

Connecting Local Foods with Buyers

News

Resources