COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts

Alternative flours on the rise as traditional flour supply dwindles

With pandemic “lockdown baking” surging in recent months, traditional wheat flour has flown off of shelves—leading eager bakers to try some alternatives. Almond, coconut, okara, hazelnut, and cassava are nutrient-dense options that consumers are trying, particularly those on paleo, keto, or gluten-free diets. When Nature’s Eats rolled out its almond flour in 2008, it didn’t […]

First-time Ohio organic farmers forced to change course with pandemic

Launching an organic farm business—even an inherited farm with a 20-year history—can be a daunting venture. But when spring floods and a lock-down pandemic hit your first growing season, you’ve got to reposition yourself quickly. Kim and Taylor Wiggins bought Northridge Organic Farm in Johnstown, Ohio last year—and fulfilling a dream, renamed it From Scratch […]

Natural Products Expo West tradeshow postponed until May 2021

Natural Products Expo West, the world’s largest natural products tradeshow, has been postponed from its original March 3-6 dates to May 24-27, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In an announcement about the change, New Hope Network stated they had hoped to hold the show in March but “due to the uncertainty of the ongoing […]

Gleaning: honored tradition revives to connect surplus food with hungry people

The gathering of harvest leftovers, once a protected right of the poor, is being resurrected in COVID-19 times. The pandemic has generated huge amounts of food waste, produce targeted for food service clients that farmers cannot sell. Hunger is rising with unemployment, while farms are hurting from lost markets. From New Jersey to Florida to […]

Will our small farms survive the pandemic?

Before COVID-19, the locavore, farm-to-table movement was thriving. But without restaurant markets, forced into retail sales, many small farmers are in trouble. A survey by Blue Hill Farms’ chef Dan Barber discovered that one-third of 500 farmers were in danger of closing. “COVID has exposed [the] weakness of [the short, direct food chain],” he said. […]