An inquiry into the state of Food Hubs nationwide

In early May 2025, KSS convened a small group of food hub experts gathered to discuss core challenges, opportunities, and shared needs, highlighting systems-level themes and actionable next steps to advance food hub sector development for the long term. While the gathering had been planned to take a long-range, strategic approach, the 14 national leaders gathered amid extreme economic and social uncertainty as federal funding cancellations created stress for hubs and their stakeholders alike. Nevertheless, rich dialogues supported by skilled facilitation and graphic recording generated a set of guiding characteristics for the future, and key recommendations to advance the food hub sector.

The group also explored the tension between scaling food hubs and upholding equity for producers and people facing food insecurity as a stated value of the sector, and reflected on how the food hub sector can honor racial equity in particular. 

While our discussion was designed to focus on long-term, big picture strategic thinking, we also acknowledged the precarious situation food hubs are currently facing due to the cancellation of federal programs and market instability, and the need for urgent action. As a result, the group further prioritized the need to immediately create an initial rapid-response capital pool for food hubs, which can be further evolved into a longer-term pool for strategic food hub development.

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