Online Local Food Markets

On a local scale, social software supports trading within a community. An example is VeggieTrader, the online marketplace for backyard food. We blogged about that last week.

PSFK reports some other initiatives connecting small scale business with the local community. One of the most succesful is the online network Etsy, which is a trading site around ’boutique retail’, providing the small scale local handycraft movement a lot of extra gains. Furthermore, websites such as Foodoro and Foodzie connect small scale local food production with a network of consumers concerning about the food they eat. This idea is definitely part of the post-modern metropolitan food culture. The popularity of local food increases. PSFK writes:

“In essence, both companies are attempting to take the appeal of the local food movement and broaden its reach. And though shipping across the country isn’t necessarily a direct means of reducing our collective carbon footprint, growing a foundation of smaller “mom and pop” operations has the potential to have a more significant long term impact in that regard, particularly if either seller pushes “green” options. Ultimately, the success of these two sites will depend most on how compellingly they tell the stories of the folks behind the food – both are making efforts to bring the faces of these individuals front and center, making these narratives an integral part of the consumer experience.”