Our latest news, blogs, ideas, tips and opinion pieces
A vision and mission for the Food Data Collaboration: commons governance in action
The project's first achievement has been to create our collective vision and mission. So how did we get there?
Celebrating the seasonal cycles: embracing nature’s work and finding new ways to look at food
Midsummer, Summer Solstice: Connecting with the seasons: Introduction to the collection Welcome to the wheel of the year collection. A series of blogs on the solstices and equinoxes that punctuate our lives, seasons, and farming practices. The Wheel of the Year is...
Embracing a seasonal diet: the powerful benefits of eating with the land’s yearly rhythms
IntroductionThere would’ve been a time that eating seasonally was simple. But with a globalised food system and an abundance of unseasonal produce ever-available to us, it’s not always so straightforward. In this blog post, we’ll look at what eating seasonally...
Introducing the Food Data Collaboration: a new food data interoperability project with big potential
A new two-year Food Data Collaboration project funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, is starting in March 2022. Project Coordinator Sophie Paterson explains what’s planned, who’s involved and why it’s needed.
Business Model Blog: Cambridge Food Hub
In this series of guest blogs, Lynne Davis from the Open Food Network describes the business models of some of the food hubs and producers in their community. Here, in the sixth blog of the series, Lynne introduces Cambridge Food Hub.Cambridge Food Hub is a...
Business Model Blog: Stroudco
In this series of guest blogs Lynne Davis, from the Open Food Network, describes the business models of some of the food hubs and producers in their community. Here, in the fifth blog of the series, Lynne introduces Stroudco Food Hub.
Offering your shoppers store cupboard items at wholesale prices
The full Essential catalogue is now available on the Open Food Network (OFN), updated six times per year in line with product and price updates from Essential.
Business Model Blog Cockermouth Country Market
In this series of blogs, Lynne Davis from the Open Food Network, describes the business models of some of the food hubs and producers in their community. Here, in the fourth blog of the series, Lynne introduces Cockermouth Country Market.
Business Model: Blog Sole of Discretion
In this series of blogs, Lynne Davis, CEO of the Open Food Network, describes the business models of some of the food hubs and producers in their community. Here, in the third blog of the series, she introduces Sole of Discretion. Sole of Discretion is a radically...
Interested in a career in ethical marketing? We are hiring!
We are currently looking for one Junior Marketing Team Member to join The Open Food Network for an exciting new project where we will be supporting inspiring food enterprises with their marketing. The Open Food Network is a community and software backbone for food...
A trip to Cultivate, Powys as part of the Procurement For Good project
The Procurement For Good project team visited Cultivate in Newtown and other inspiring community food hubs in Powys, celebrating local sustainable food initiatives, new grower schemes, and the future of public sector food procurement. On a sunny Wednesday in April,...
Visit to Better Food Shed with Procurement For Good
Continuing our series of hub visits as part of the Procurement For Good project, in April we travelled to London to visit the Better Food Shed
Flower Grower Collective: Collaboration. Community. Creativity.
We are very pleased that The Flower Grower Collective (FGC) has been awarded funding through the prestigious Farming Innovation Programme.
Visit to Propagate & Galloway Food Hub
At the end of January the Procurement For Good (P4G) project team travelled to Dumfries for the first of four hub visits.
The Open Food Network has been invited to be an ambassador of the EU Proximity and Social Economy Platform
The Open Food Network is now an ambassador for the EU Proximity and Social Economy Platform! Diesis is a global network of social entrepreneurs supporting the development of the social economy, social entrepreneurship and social innovation. The Network aims to...
Manda Scott joins OFN UK as an ambassador
We are very pleased to welcome Manda Scott as an ambassador. This is what she said about the OFN: "You're being the change we need to see. At a core level, we need total systemic change and shifting our food/farming system to something based in co-operation and...
Procurement For Good project begins
We are extremely excited to announce that we have started work on the Procurement For Good (P4G) project as of the beginning of October 2024. Procurement for Good (P4G) is a £1.9m research project led by Coventry University’s Centre for Agroecology, Water and...
Celebrating nature and following its rhythms
Can you hear the birds chirping outside your window? This is the sound of Spring! The days are getting longer - finally! We will soon be leaving the dark half of the year and embracing the early spring rays of the Sun! Soon, it will be time to celebrate the Spring...
Open Food Network wins the award for digital innovation in the European Social Economy Awards
There were more than 500 nominations for this award from all over Europe. Open Food Network Europe gets the prize in the section about social economy initiatives operating in the digital economy or with an important focus on technological innovation and/or working...
Hybiau Caffael Bwyd Cynaliadwy yng Nghymru
Dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, mae'r Open Food Network UK wedi bod yn gweithio ar gynllun peilot arloesol i ddangos dichonoldeb cyflenwi bwyd lleol ar blât cyhoeddus Cymru. Gan weithio gyda phartneriaid o Ffermydd a Gerddi Cymdeithasol, Cultivate, Cymdeithas...