Farm to Rural Grocery to Wholesale: Backhauling through Existing Infrastructure to Create Local Food Access

The University of Minnesota Extension’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) is leading an integrated research and extension project that involves stakeholders from across the food supply chain, including producers, rural grocers, wholesalers, regulators, and University of Minnesota research and Extension. The presentation panel provides background on our progress of piloting and developing the feasibility of a new model, Farm to Rural Grocery to Wholesale (F2G2W). This model leverages the existing network of rural grocery stores and their wholesale suppliers to “backhaul” locally grown produce on emptied wholesale trucks for redistribution through wholesale markets. Backhaul, in this context, is the practice of using the return trip of a delivery truck to carry goods back to the wholesale distribution center. The F2G2W model would provide small and medium-sized farms new access to wholesale markets, rural grocery stores an advantage to be a key player in healthy food access (with potential financial incentive as well). Once tested, it has the potential for replication in rural areas throughout the country. This presentation connects directly with the conference theme of “strengthening communities and health” through the use of rural grocery stores in backhauling local, healthy foods -- primarily produce. Furthermore, this presentation meets the key topic areas of food deserts (the project pilot is occurring in a food desert in MN), food access, food distribution systems, grocery stores as civic and cultural spaces, and food hubs