In an effort to help Chattanooga area citizens identify and support locally-grown food in the marketplace, Gaining Ground is introducing the Harvested Here label. The label distinguishes food such as produce, meats, cheeses, and eggs grown or raised on farms within 100 miles of Chattanooga.
Gaining Ground is an initiative of the Benwood Foundation designed to promote awareness, purchase, and consumption of food grown within 100 miles of Chattanooga. New this year is Gaining Ground's Local Food Program which includes the introduction of the Harvested Here label.
The program is free and open to farms located within that area as well as the restaurants, markets, grocery stores, and food artisans that feature their products.
The Agriculture Department estimates that locally-grown foods will generate $7 billion in sales in 2011, up from $5 billion in 2007. As the segment has grown, so has the need to define what “local” means when applied to food production. The Harvested Here label clearly indicates that, in Chattanooga, locally-grown means “within 100 miles.”
“People are definitely getting more educated about local food, where their food comes from, and wanting to know their farmer. The Harvested Here label is another way for people to know that the tomatoes they are buying actually came from a farm in the area and were not trucked in from Florida,” says Letty Smith of Circle S Farm, a member of Gaining Ground’s Local Food Program.
Participating farms, restaurants and grocers will be encouraged to use the Harvested Here label on their products or packaging, menus, and store displays, all in an effort to help citizens understand where their food comes from and to support local farms.
Gaining Ground is supporting the introduction of the Harvested Here label with public service announcements for television and radio. The television spots feature local farmers and farms and serve to enrich the community’s relationship with the people who grow their food.
Learn more or apply for Gaining Ground’s Local Food Program: www.growchattanooga.orglocalfood
