South Carolina Food Hub Offers Healthy, Local Food Options

CHARLESTON, South Carolina – A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that food deserts are linked to poor health and obesity. One solution to healthier eating habits could be food hubs, and a South Carolina non-profit has launched its own food hub in the heart of downtown Charleston to ensure that residents receive fresh and healthy local foods from area farmers.

With the aid of a Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) Sustainable Community Innovation Grant, the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League created GrowFood Carolina – a food hub serving as the link between small to mid-sized area farmers growing fruits and vegetables and the community craving local foods.

The GrowFood Carolina mural, painted by South Carolina artist David Boatwright

“The interest was there for local foods, but the one thing missing for the chefs, grocery stores, and farmers in bringing it all together was an actual physical location where local produce could be delivered by the farmer and distributed to area businesses,” said Sara Clow, general manager of GrowFood Carolina.

Sara Clow, GrowFood Carolina general manager, shows off some of the local produce in the food hub cooler.

By the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s definition, a food hub is a “centrally located facility with a business management structure facilitating the aggregation, storage, processing, distribution, and/or marketing of locally/regionally produced food products.”

The popularity of food hubs has exploded in recent years across the country. The USDA Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Subcommittee on Food Hubs has identified over 100 food hubs, with a number of them located across the Southern region in such states as Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas. USDA statistics show that nearly 40 percent of all food hubs get their start in food deserts.

GrowFood Carolina has been open for about a month and is already making an impact on the local community. The 10,000 square foot building, complete with a 6,500 square foot warehouse and an 800 square foot cooler, sits in an ideal location – right in the middle of Charleston’s food deserts, yet less than a mile from the vibrant downtown waterfront and restaurant scene and easy access to major highways and interstates that connect the city to the state’s coastal islands.

The food hub serves farmers up to 120 miles away by providing them business outlets for their products. Area grocery stores and restaurants selling or serving GrowFood Carolina produce include Piggly Wiggly, Whole Foods, The Vegetable Bin, The Co-op, HUSK, Roti Rolls, Two Boroughs Larder, FIG, Citrus and Ted’s Butcher Block, and the list continues to grow. In addition, GrowFood Carolina delivers produce to Lowcountry Food Bank and has plans to work with area schools and universities in delivering healthy, local foods.

“We are witnessing a 300-year revolution in South Carolina,” said Dana Beach, executive director of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League. “There has been more excitement surrounding local foods and healthy eating than any environmental issue we’ve ever worked with. There has been an avalanche of commerce activity and as long as we have that infrastructure in place, I think there’s nothing that can stop it.”

The USDA estimates that the presence of food hubs can have a significant economic impact on local communities, with average food hub sales reaching $1 million annually and with each food hub creating an average of 13 jobs.

Clow feels that GrowFood Carolina can have the same economic impacts for the Charleston community by keeping local small to mid-sized farmers profitable and competitive.

Edible marigolds from a local farmer.

“Less than 10 percent of what is grown in South Carolina is consumed in the state,” said Clow.

In addition, the organizers see the food hub as a learning tool for sustainable ag practices.

“We plan to develop a demonstration area at the warehouse that will include a garden, compost and other sustainable agriculture practices for schools, farmers, and the community in the area to enjoy,” said Lisa Turansky, director of sustainable agriculture at the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League.

In addition to showcasing sustainable ag practices, GrowFood Carolina is also a model of renewable energy. The organizers are seeking LEED certification for the building, which includes a number of features such as post-consumer recycled carpeting, solar tube skylights and low flush toilets.

For more information on GrowFood Carolina, log on to http://growfoodcarolina.com To learn more about the Southern SARE project, “GrowFood Carolina,” log on to the national SARE project database and search project number, “CS10-078.

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Published by the Southern Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Southern SARE operates under cooperative agreements with the University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University, and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture to offer competitive grants to advance sustainable agriculture in America's Southern region.