New England Food Hubs & Processors

Food Processing in New England

The movement towards localizing the food system has increased the need for alternative regional aggregation and distribution system as well as improved technical assistance in season extension, product and market development, and food safety. It is also creating the demand for food hubs, food business incubators, shared commercial kitchens, and co-packing services across the region. Food processing combines raw food ingredients to produce marketable food products that can be easily prepared and served by the consumer. Food processing typically involves activities such as peeling, cutting, emulsification, and cooking; pickling, pasteurization, freezing and many other kinds of preservation; and packaging.

Lightly processed local food represents an intersection of values and convenience. It reflects basic economics (ex: tomatoes in July, August and September can be sold at a higher profit in the winter, so it's smart to preserve your harvest when supply is high) and allows food service providers to meet the requests of their eaters for local food. Processed local food makes sense when there is an abundance of harvested product that does not have a ready market and when there are buyers who are willing to pay for pre-cut, washed, blanched or otherwise processed products due to lack of time, equipment, or skills.

Food Hubs in New England

Food hubs are businesses or organizations that facilitate the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of locally and regionally produced food, often with a focus on supporting small and mid-sized producers. They act as a bridge between producers and consumers, restaurants, retailers, and institutions, providing a centralized location and infrastructure for local food systems. Food hubs can be physical or online, and they may offer services like warehousing, processing, packaging, and transportation.

These businesses play an important role in the regional food system. By aggregating food from multiple producers, they can reduce transportation costs and increase efficiency, as well as helping smaller producers gain access to larger or new markets. They can also implement quality control measures and traceability systems for food safety. 

You might not be familiar with some of the words we use on this page. That's why we created this short glossary to help clarify the terms we use in the world of food processing. We hope this helps! 

Accelerator: Distinguished from an incubator or a shared-use kitchen because of the clients it serves, an accelerator is designed for moderate to large scale food businesses. Services may include: licensed kitchens, R&D production facilities, co-manufacturing, distribution services, co-branding and other specific methods targeted for the growth/scale up of the existing business. 

Acidified: Non-acidic products, including most vegetables and fresh meat, can be acidified to produce acidified low-acid foods.

Artisan/Artisanal: Generally, these terms mean that the product was made by hand with great care and high-quality ingredients. They are most frequently applied to items like bread, chocolate, cheese, vinegars and jam.

Co-Packing/Contract Manufacturing- A manufacturer that contracts with a firm for components or products. Co-packing typically involves using business owners recipes and specs and contract manufacturing typically involves in house recipes used to make products for producers based on pre-established specs.

Commissary Kitchen: A stationary, commercial kitchen facility where food is stored and prepped, often serves as a home base for food trucks, caterers, and other foodservice companies.

Food Hub: A centrally located facility with a business management structure facilitating the aggregation, storage, processing, distribution, and/or marketing of locally/regionally produced food products.

GAP Certified (Good Agricultural Practices): A series of on-farm practices designed to minimize the risk of food contamination, maintain a clear record of how food was produced, handled and stored, and ensure people buying produce that it is coming from a clean, well-managed environment. To be GAP certified farms go through a third party audit, chosen by buyers, to show proof that they have followed the necessary practices.

Incubator: A place, especially with support staff and equipment, made available at low rent to new small businesses. Services offered assist businesses through various stages of growth, eventually “graduating” operations into a brick-and-mortar facility. The additional services, beyond rental of licensed/certified kitchens, or processing equipment can include any or all of the following: Business advising, food safety training, regulatory advising, marketing, supply chain facilitation, retail placement, outreach, and other support services. Incubators are designed for small scale and start-up businesses and the services mark the major distinction between and incubator and a shared-use kitchen.

Life-Cycle Assessment: A quantification of the level of energy and raw materials used as well as the solid, liquid and gaseous wastes produced at every stage of a product's life or process. LCA can be conducted for a whole process or for part of a process.

Light/Minimally Processing: Foods which are not substantially changed from their raw, unprocessed form and retain most of their nutritional properties. Minimal forms of processing include washing, peeling, slicing, juicing and removing inedible parts, freezing, drying and fermenting. To prolong shelf life and inhibit the growth of pathogens, perishable foods may have preservatives added to them, or they may be sealed in sterile packaging. Some minimally processed foods and beverages may be exposed to controlled amounts of heat, or in some cases radiation, to eliminate inactivate pathogens.

Season extension: Anything that allows a crop to be cultivated beyond its normal outdoor growing season. Food preservation can also ‘extend’ the seasonal availability of agricultural products.

Shared-Use Kitchen: A commercial kitchen where caterers, street cart vendors, farmers, and producers of specialty/gourmet food items can prepare their food products in a fully licensed and certified kitchen. The kitchens provide start-up businesses the opportunity to explore food production without the high cost of buying their own equipment or constructing their own building.

Technical Assistance (TA): Providing advice, assistance, and training pertaining to the many facets of food production. Such services may be provided on-site, by telephone, or by other means of communication. These services address specific problems and are intended to assist those seeking to grow their businesses. These are the types of services that incubators provide.

Value added: A raw agricultural product that has been modified or enhanced to be a product with a higher market value and/or a longer shelf life. Examples include fruits made into pies or jams, meats made into jerky, and tomatoes and peppers made into salsa.