Buy Fresh Buy Local Expands into Bloomington-Normal Area

  The Illinois Stewardship Alliance (ISA) with the support of the Heartland Local Food Network (HLFN) announces the expansion of the marketing campaign "Buy Fresh Buy Local" (BFBL) into the Bloomington-Normal area. The campaign will help consumers identify locally produced foods and create new marketing opportunities for farmers.

  The BFBL Central Illinois Chapter is currently reaching out to Illinois farmers in McLean and surrounding counties growing fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products, in addition to producers of livestock, dairy, eggs, and other value-added items. The chapter members will receive a colorful logo encouraging consumers to "Buy Fresh Buy Local;" the logo can be used at any point of sale including farmers' markets, restaurants, grocery stores, and farm stands.

 The BFBL Bloomington-Normal area is the second marketing hub for the Central Illinois Chapter. BFBL is a program of Illinois Stewardship Alliance with the support of the Heartland Local Food Network. BFBL Central Illinois is part of a national network of BFBL chapters founded by FoodRoutes Network, with 73 chapters, from New York to California, and growing.

 The campaign is part of a larger local foods movement inspired by economics, environmental and health concerns. Keeping money in the local economy, supporting family farms, reducing the miles that foods travel, and maintaining freshness are the main objectives for the movement towards locally produced foods.

 "The top reasons consumers give for seeking out locally produced foods is the freshness and high quality local foods offer. They haven't been shipped thousands of miles or been sitting in storage for long periods of time" says Lindsay Record, Local Food Coordinator at the ISA. "The difficulty is that beyond the farmers' markets, consumers have trouble locating locally grown and produced foods."

 Those interested can obtain more information about membership by contacting Lindsay Record at (217) 498-9707.

The yearly membership fee is $25.00 for farmers and growers, and $50.00 for businesses. Members will be able to utilize the "Buy Fresh Buy Local Central Illinois" logo in their marketing materials and will be included in the 2009 Local Food Guide, which will be published and distributed in the coming months.

 Illinois Stewardship Alliance is a statewide membership organization that promotes policy development, advocacy and education to suport the development of environmentally sound, economically viable and socially responsible local foods systems. Visit ISA'S website at www.illinoisstewardshipalliance.org<http://www.illinoisstewardshipalliance.org/>.