Fair Food Network

10/16/2026

Good food takes time, care, and people who tend the land through every season.

Last week, during our retreat, the Fair Food Network team spent time at the Farm at Trinity Health, rolling up our sleeves and getting a firsthand look at the work that goes into growing our food. Working alongside the farm team, we helped clear pollinator plots, pulled tomato plants, separated garlic, and packed produce for CSA boxes as the farm prepared for the changing season.

This , we’re reminded that a healthy, resilient food system starts long before food reaches our tables. It starts with healthy soil, farmers who care for the land, and communities that value and support the people who grow our food.

A big thank you to the Farm at Trinity Health team for welcoming us and sharing your knowledge, and to farmers everywhere for the care and dedication you bring to feeding our communities.

10/02/2026

We’re Growing the Field!

Fair Food Network is excited to join the Nutrition Incentive Hub in bringing together leaders, practitioners, and partners from across the country for Growing the Field: National Convening on Nutrition Incentives & Produce Prescriptions.

And we want to hear from you! We’re looking for workshop presenters ready to share their knowledge, experiences, and ideas with the field. If you have insights, strategies, or lessons learned that can strengthen nutrition incentive and produce prescription programs, we encourage you to submit a session proposal.

Session proposals are open now through November 20!

Learn more about the convening and submit your proposal: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MUYv4Hy7R3bgzsKjGmWRslVVOWl3taZZ/view

09/29/2026

For years, Damian Rivera and Rosemary Linares have worked toward a big vision: a local meat processing facility that serves small- and mid-sized farmers, creates good jobs, and strengthens Southeast Michigan’s local food system.

Now, that vision is getting closer to reality in Manchester. We’re proud that Fair Food Network’s Fair Food Fund has supported their journey with Damian’s Craft Meats, and we're thrilled to see this local food business move forward.

Read more about their incredible work here: https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2026/09/first-usda-slaughterhouse-in-washtenaw-county-craft-meat-boutique-coming-to-manchester.html

Story written by Jennifer Eberbach at MLive.com.

Husband and wife Damian Rivera and Rosemary Linares want to support the local food system, farmers and workers with their future USDA-inspected meat processing facility coming to Manchester.

09/24/2026

We’ve got a fresh new look! Our new Fair Food Network website is live, making it easier to explore our work to make food a force for good.

From helping families access healthy, local food to supporting farmers and food entrepreneurs, we're strengthening local food economies and building healthier, more resilient communities with you.

Our work starts in Michigan, but it doesn't stop here. What we learn alongside communities and partners is helping seed change across the country.

Explore our work. Meet the people and partners making it happen. And find your place in building a better future through food with us.

Take a look: fairfoodnetwork.org.

09/23/2026

There’s no single fix for making food more affordable. What will it take to keep food within reach while supporting the local producers, grocery stores, and communities that make food access possible?

Fair Food Network’s Affordability Fixes virtual series explores practical solutions to this challenge. Join us for our first conversation, “From Rural Grocers to City Shelves: Rethinking Food Affordability,” to explore how solutions can reflect the different needs of rural and urban communities, from strengthening household purchasing power to exploring community-owned grocery models.

With insights from Errol Schweizer, publisher of The Checkout Update in New York, and Meta Jo Riseling of Walsh Community Grocery in Colorado, we’ll discuss what it takes to make affordability work across the food system.

October 13 | 12–1 p.m. ET
Free virtual webinar

Register here:

09/17/2026

What is an indie grocer? And why do they matter?

What we call “indie grocers,” are locally rooted, innovative grocery stores that can take a lot of different forms: nonprofit, cooperative, public, and for-profit. There’s no one-size-fits-all model. What sets many of these indie grocers apart is a shared goal: giving communities a bigger say in their food. That might mean making healthy food more convenient and affordable, supporting local farmers and food businesses, or creating jobs and economic opportunity close to home.

Our new report, Indie Grocery Stores Have the Recipe for a Better Food System, takes a closer look at the innovative approaches independent grocers across the country are putting into practice—and what their work can teach us about building a stronger, more locally rooted food system.

Read the full report here:https://fairfoodnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/FFN-Indie-Grocery-Whitepaper_Small.pdf

09/10/2026

Thanks, The Dad Briefs, for highlighting the importance of buying local and the difference nutrition incentives can make for families and local food economies. 💚

We also can't wait to try that mango salsa!

09/01/2026

With support from the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation, our team will continue to further its work to grow a stronger local food economy in Michigan. We look forward to what's ahead!

Fair Food Network is a nonprofit working to strengthen Southeast Michigan's local food economy through investment and technical assistance. Its Farm to Retail Accelerator will connect farmers, processors, distributors, and retailers, testing practical ways for small businesses to source locally and keep more food dollars with the region's own farmers and producers.

"Support from the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation will help us innovate and grow new ways to strengthen Southeast Michigan’s local food economy by connecting capital, technical assistance, farmers, food businesses, and retailers. Together, we’re making local sourcing easier and more profitable while building toward our mission to grow community health, wealth, and resilience through food." Erica Christensen Raml, Vice President of Community Food Impact, Fair Food Network

We're proud to support this work with a three-year $375,000 grant.

🔗 Learn more in our latest grants announcement: https://www.erbff.org/3-75-million-to-power-sustainable-business-in-southeast-michigan/

08/28/2026

Yesterday, Fair Food Network attended the Ann Arbor Local Food Festival at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market!

Through Double Up Food Bucks Michigan, Michigan Good Food Fund, and our broader work, we’re helping build stronger connections between people, local food, farmers, and communities across Michigan.

It was also great seeing some of our partners along the way, including Argus Farm Stop, The Farm at Trinity Health Ann Arbor, Growing Hope, Damiens Craft Meats, and Agricole Farm Stop.

Events like this are a great reminder of what’s possible when we .

08/26/2026

At the Michigan State Capitol, we’re celebrating the connection between local food and Michigan's communities at Michigan Farmers Market Association's Farmers Market at the Capitol.

Local food brings people together, keeps dollars circulating in our communities, and creates opportunities for Michigan farmers and families. We're proud that our Double Up Food Bucks program is part of that connection, helping families bring home more fresh, healthy food while supporting Michigan's growers and local food economies.

Here’s to keeping the momentum going.