Local Food Startup Aims to Build Local Food Economies

Feb. 18, 2012 - PRLog -- February 17, 2012, Boston, MA: MyFreshLocal.com, a website connecting local food producers and consumers, announced the launch of its crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo. Money raised through the campaign will be used to build a more powerful toolset and improved user experience for users of http://www.MyFreshLocal.com.

According to Mary Ellen Slater, founder of the site, “Crowdfunding is a perfect fit for our business because myfreshlocal.com is a socially responsible enterprise. We aim to give back to the local food movement every step of the way and to help build thriving local food economies. The people who give through crowdfunding are the audience that will benefit from the site so they have a natural desire to help. It's a very symbiotic relationship.”

You can visit the IndieGogo campaign and learn more about the project at http://www.indiegogo.com/myfreshlocal

Currently the food system is dominated by large agribusinesses which are creating an unsafe environment for food. Industrial agriculture and factory farming are marked by environmental damage, widespread use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), additives and chemicals in the food supply, and outbreaks of food-borne illnesses due to poor handling and processing of food.

Local food economies provide fresher, healthier food with more positive environmental impact, while also creating local jobs and better economic incentives for farmers.

“We need to add tools to MyFreshLocal.com so we can focus on building the audience and letting the community grow organically,” says Slater. “This fundraising allows us to do that during a critical time in our development.”

Funders can receive a number of incentives for contributing, including heritage seeds from the Seed Savers Catalog and copies of the new book The Future of Food.

“By helping us build MyFreshLocal, you help build successful local food economies, in your area and around the country. As we are successful, the market for organic food grows and the prices for all of us come down,” Slater says.

MyFreshLocal.com is encouraging visitors to the campaign make a difference by choosing local food. Use the food finder on MyFreshLocal to find farmers' markets and locally-sourced restaurants near you. Every time you choose local food, we all get one small step closer to a better food system.

About MyFreshLocal.com
http://www.MyFreshLocal.com is an online consumer resource whose mission is to connect the mainstream audience with the people, flavors, and benefits of fresh local food.

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MyFreshLocal.com is an online consumer resource whose mission is to connect the mainstream audience with the people, flavors, and benefits of fresh local food. Visit us online at www.myfreshlocal.com