Center for Regional Food Systems Michigan Organic Farming Exchange

Organic Assistant
Explore certified organic products in your area using the Organic Assistant product and services database. Its website offers consumer and industry-based resources connecting all parts of the organic industry, from producers to processors and wholesalers to retailers for the consumer to locate organic products easily.

Local Food for Local Government 
State and local governments have a strong interest in promoting local food systems – that is, networks integrating sustainable food production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste management. This guide provides an overview of the factors affecting whether a state or local agency may procure locally produced food and agricultural products.

Buying Local: Approved Food Sources for Food Establishments
This guide provides information on providing safe locally produced products such as produce, meat and eggs to food establishments. Food establishments include restaurants, schools, grocery and convenience stores, and other institutions.

Bringing Local Food to Local Institutions
Farmers, food-service managers, and community members can use this publication to gain knowledge and resources about how to begin or expand a farm to institution program.

Community Food Networks & Programs

Keep Growing Detroit
This organization promotes Detroit in becoming a “food sovereign” city, where most fruit and vegetables being eaten are grown by residents within the city. It fosters healthy and sustainable relationships with food and community, creating community leaders and food entrepreneurs out of the everyday gardener.

Detroit Food Academy
This nonprofit experiential leadership program aims to support sustainability and cooperative partnership through involvement with local high schools, educators and food entrepreneurs. It provides a year-round education program for launching food-based solutions in the community through systematic education and communication.

Eastern Market Corporation
The Detroit Market Corporation increases connections between communities and resources – human and nonhuman elements – to build a dynamic, diverse and sustainable urban district. It seeks to make the Eastern Market, including a six-block public market, the center for fresh food in southeast Michigan.

DPS Office of School Nutrition
The Office of School Nutrition supports the educational development of our students by providing healthy breakfast and hot nutritional lunch to all students in grades K-12 at no charge. It serves more than 85,000 healthy meals daily and delivers programs, like farm to school, which connect students with local food systems.

Gleaners Community Food Bank
Gleaners is committed to distributing safe, nutritional and high-quality food to underprivileged southeastern Michigan residents. This cooperative organization seeks to inspire sustainable thought through programatic education and advocacy. And it hopes to reduce the reliance on the emergency food system by providing millions of pounds of donated and purchased food to people in need.

FoodLab Detroit
This community of food entrepreneurs is committed to making the possibility of good food in Detroit a sustainable reality. Programs and business-to-business platforms help food businesses start-up, grow and contribute to a holistic and collaborative vision of local food.

FoodPLUS Detroit
FoodPLUS is a networked innovation coalition seeking a more sustainable metropolitan food system. They seek education and innovation through processes, platforms and programs that connect people through ethical and globally-connected food systems.

Fair Food Network
The Fair Food Network is a national nonprofit that seeks to improve safe food access, inform public policy and strengthen funding strategies through workshops and advisory roles. The Network supports farmers and local economies, especially in underserved communities.

Detroit Food Justice Task Force
A consortium of organizations, the Detroit Food Justice Task Force is developing a Planning Toolkit to empower Detroiters to assess and improve food justice and security in their own neighborhoods. They provide programs and resources that focus on food justice literacy, best practice research and development, environmental justice literacy, community assessment and media literacy.

Detroit Food Policy Council
This education, advocacy and policy organization led by Detroiters is committed to creating a sustainable, local food system that promotes food security, food justice and food sovereignty in the city of Detroit.