About Open Food Network

The vision of Open Food Network is:

A world where fair and open food supply networks connect people and regenerate the earth.

The Open Food Network aims to enable people (everyone!) to be able to source their food fairly and directly from local farmers, growers and producers.

Shopping on the platform empowers you as a customer: it is easy to see where your food comes from, the story behind where or how it was grown or made, and the amount a producer will directly receive from your purchase.

Short local supply chains build communities. You can purchase milk from the local dairy, bread from the baker on your highstreet, vegetables from a local allotment etc all in one go and at your convenience. Knowing that a real person, who runs a small business near you (who you may even bump into on the street from time to time) benefits directly from your weekly shop strengthens your local economy and builds food sovereignty.

The Open Food Network is a global software platform. The code base is open source, which means it is owned by everyone. No one person has the authority to remove access to or ask for payment for use of the code. The Open Food Network platform is only a host for the local food enterprises who are registered on it. When you purchase on the platform it is an interaction between yourself (as a customer) and a local food enterprise. The Open Food Network is a not for profit organisation.