By Jenn DeRose,
Known & Grown Manager
Coalition for the Environment
www.moenviron.org
Known & Grown STL Makes Ethical Eating Easier
Agriculture can have an outsized impact on our environment, especially soil, water, and air quality – which is why MCE created a Food and Farm team devoted to supporting farmers who are committed to sustainable practices. For nearly five years, the Food and Farm team has been working to build up a thriving, local, and equitable food system in the St. Louis area by working with farmers to share their stories, providing information and resources, and helping them reach new markets with their products.
Through conversations with our network of farmers, chefs, and consumers, we came to understand that there was a need for an outside organization to educate buyers about why sustainable farming practices and principles are worth investing in and to make purchasing ethically grown products easy and accessible for everyone.
To address this need, a committee of experts and stakeholders from the St. Louis Food Policy Coalition worked to develop a marketing brand whose purpose would be vetting, celebrating, and promoting farmers using environmentally friendly practices and connecting these farmers with eco-conscious customers. After 18 months of research and feedback from consumers, chefs, and farmers, we are excited to finally launch Known & Grown STL.
Known & Grown STL is open to farmers committed to growing fruits and vegetables without synthetic chemicals and raising animals humanely outside in pasture or fields. Our branded farmers have been vetted and meet the highest standards of environmental stewardship in their practices. Known & Grown STL is made up of farmers we trust, so you can trust them too.
As the Known & Grown STL program expands, we will be working to help restaurants and grocery stores buy from Known & Grown STL farmers – that way consumers will have easy access to sustainably raised options that support good stewards of the environment wherever they purchase food within the St. Louis foodshed. We define the St. Louis foodshed as the geographical region that produces the food for the area within 150 miles of the City of St. Louis.
You can help us with our mission to strengthen our food system and support our farmers by purchasing Known & Grown STL branded products – visit our website for a growing list of places to buy sustainable produce and animal products. Stay informed and up-to-date about Known & Grown STL by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook + Instagram:
@knownandgrownstl
www.knownandgrownstl.org
For more information please visit online at www.moenviron.org.