The Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities is exploring the idea of establishing a Southeast Nebraska Food Hub.
Cecial Steward, President and CEO of the Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities, says food hubs consist of organizations, producers and market-oriented individuals interested in distributing food from a local or regional perspective.
Steward says the food hub is a support system like the agricultural co-op has been for commercial agriculture.
He says the Joslyn Institute has held three meetings to gauge stakeholder interest in a regional system that would feature year-round farmer’s markets.
"There’s plenty of evidence around the country that communities that have active markets have a higher profile of youth nutrition and the battle against youth obesity is easier to operate if there’s a quantity of local food being produced.”
Steward says with the food hub, Omaha and Lincoln would both have their independent markets but there would be producers within 150-200 miles of the two cities that would supply local foods to markets in both.
He says research indicates consumers are becoming more interested in where their food comes from as well as what’s in it.
Steward says the Southeast Nebraska Food Hub could be operational in about three years.