Farm to Table

What is the Farm-to-Table trend? The Farm-to-Table trend (also known as the Farm-to-Fork trend) refers to, in the food safety field, the stages of the production of food: harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sales, and consumption. Farm-to-table also refers to a movement concerned with producing food locally and delivering that food to local consumers. Linked to the local food movement, the movement is promoted by some in the agriculture, food service, and restaurant communities. It may also be associated with organic farming initiatives, sustainable agriculture, and community-supported agriculture. Seasonal menus, based on what is available at peak harvest, are offered at more and more places -- connecting how we eat with what is locally grown. Certainly, this is not something new, but an emerging trend taking hold in places from big city restaurants to your neighborhood favorite. Finding out how to choose a restaurant that supports local farmers will help you start thinking globally and sourcing locally. The widespread and on-going abuse of animals raised for meat production has been widely documented and reported. Outrage over the ammonia-treated meat filler or "pink slime" and the use of "meat glue" in restaurants and hotels, has sparked the rapidly growing Farm-to-Table movement. Will it last? I have great faith in the Farm-to-Table trend lasting in the American Culture. In recent studies, ive noticed that Americans are eating more healthily than previous years. Using more fresh ingredients, because of the the chemicals used in packaged produce and meats. Also, First Lady Michelle Obama, is doing all she can to help pursuade Americans to have more healthy eating habits. Which is definitely a way to get the American Community more involved. Even fast food restaurants, are changing their menus, giving other more healthy options than fries and soda. Chefs and butchers are increasingly buying meats from local farmers, who raise antibiotic-free livestock

References: : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/Menuism/farm-to-table_b_2052404.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm-to-table http://meatandwildgame.about.com/od/Beef_Veal/a/Farm-to-Table.htm I also had a few conversations with a few managers around local Chicago Restaurants.