Good Food Works

Food crafters and independent merchants are confronting a complex and rapidly changing landscape. Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods is just the latest display of industry consolidation and the unprecedented growth of online retail. The simple truth that good food is about people—connecting, respecting, supporting and enjoying each other—is at risk of being lost in this swift evolution. At the same time, since the Good Food Awards launched in 2011, the 20 largest food corporations have lost $18 billion of market share to smaller, values-focused makers. Our work to humanize the food system has flourished and a vibrant community of 1,200 Good Food producers and 500 retailers has coalesced to feed an increasing hunger for responsibly made food.

To safeguard the strides made in the last decade and continue the momentum towards a diverse, truly “good” food economy, the Good Food Foundation must broaden its work. Poised at the intersection of industry-leading merchants and makers, we are uniquely positioned to deepen critical collaboration between these two groups. The Good Food Fund will be used to launch innovative programs that will unite crafters and merchants, build a culture of sharing and differentiate Good Food.

At the same time, while we have woven our implicit commitment to equity into the first ten years of our work, 2020 made it clear that quiet integration is not enough. That it is time for an explicit, multi-year Equity Action Plan. A roadmap informed by a survey of 145 Black, Indigenous, and Person of Color-identifying food crafters, and designed by a BIPOC-led Equity Task Force. A plan that looks within and beyond the Good Food Foundation, uniting with partners to more deeply support food crafters and retailers of color, and ultimately create a more diverse and equitable food landscape in this country. We hope you’ll join us.