Farm-to-table

Farm-to-table is a social movement which promotes serving local food at restaurants and school cafeterias, preferably through direct acquisition from the producer (which might be a winery, brewery, ranch, fishery, or other type of food producer which is not strictly a "farm"). This might be accomplished by a farmers' market or CSA; or it might be by going to a farm and buying directly from the farm, or even picking the food yourself. Farm-to-table often incorporates a form of food traceability (celebrated as "knowing where your food comes from") where the origin of the food is identified to consumers. Often restaurants cannot source all the food they need for their operations locally, so only a portion of their food is from local sources.

History

The farm-to-table movement has arisen more or less concurrently with changes in attitudes about food safety, food freshness, food seasonality, and small-farm economics. Advocates and practitioners of the farm-to-table model frequently describe themselves as adherents to the "slow food" movement.

Benefits

Farm-to-table helps to build a sense of community and place as consumers feel connected to the source of their food, and farmers and producers are able to interact directly with their customers. It also promotes sustainability through reducing the carbon footprint of food transportation and often supports organic or environmentally-friendly farming practices.

Criticisms

Critics of the farm-to-table movement argue that the increased cost of locally-sourced foods can lead to elitism and exclude lower-income individuals from its benefits. There are also concerns about the scalability of the model, as it may not be feasible to source all food locally, particularly in urban or densely-populated areas.

See also

• Local food
• Slow food
• Sustainable agriculture
• Organic farming

Farm-to-table Resources
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