Many farmers and ranchers, especially smaller operations, are challenged by the lack of distribution and processing infrastructure of appropriate scale that would give them wider access to retail, institutional, and commercial foodservice markets, where demand for local and regional foods continues to rise. Food hubs can help. By offering a combination of production, aggregation, distribution, and marketing services, food hubs make it possible for producers to gain entry into new and additional markets that would be difficult or impossible to access on their own.

The USDA is committed to food hubs because we believe that food hubs offer strong and sound infrastructure support to producers across the country which will also help build a stronger regional food system. Here are some links to USDA's research, findings, and support of food hubs.

• MUST READ: Moving Food Along the Value Chain: Innovations in Regional Food Distribution (.pdf)
  En Español: Traslado de productos alimentarios a través de la cadena de valor: Innovaciones en la distribución regional de alimentos (.pdf)
• MUST READ: Regional Food Hub Resource Guide (.pdf)
  En Español: Guía informativa del centro regional de distribución de productos alimentarios (.pdf)
• USDA Food Hub Research, Releases, Blog Posts, and Articles
• Resources for Food Hubs (Not USDA source unless indicated)
• What We Are Reading and Other Informative Research (Not USDA source unless indicated)

For more information, please contact foodhubs@ams.usda.gov.