Why Farm to Table is Dying and We Are Glad To See It Go.

The more that I learn about the farm to table movement and the more that it evolves the more we can see that the bubble is about to burst.  That is a good thing.

Let's be clear, I am not talking about "artisanal" produce and products.  There are some very skilled people out there doing amazing and innovative things.  Even they are going to have to up their game as the sun sets on the basic movement.

See the basic movement was about getting the chemicals out of our food.  The basic movement was about making our food more local and encouraging those local growers to expand their outreach to the people in their local neighborhoods and also encouraging others to get to know them.  The basic movement was about creating a link to our food.  Mission accomplished...kinda.

Whatever else we may believe, we are at the mercy of economics. The result of scarcity is expense and as the movement worked it became more popular and thus less scarce.  Lack of scarcity, lack of expense for the buy means lack of profit and thus those who were out to make a buck are out of line.

What we have ended up doing is promoting something that is so simple and
powerful that it cannot and should not be controlled by a few.  Is Whole Foods going out of business?  Probably not.  Trader Joe's is growing and there are a number of other similar groceries growing also; places where "organic" and "local"

Not to mention the fact that farmers are getting more and more savvy about
what they grow and how to market themselves.  People are growing their own more and they are growing more exotic things, challenging their pallets and their skills, right in their own backyard.

What used to be on the fringe has now become mainstream but unlike Myspace and the pet rock, the movement is not a fad.  It is not like people are getting tired of it and that it is going away.  As is becomes more the norm, it is picking up steam and like any commodity is becoming more accessible and more available to the masses.

We have a long way to go, for sure, but there is a lot of creativity out there.  There are people commandeering abandoned lots and rooftops for gardens and that is a good thing.  There are people who are fighting the system, and who are making it their actual job to advocate for good and healthy food.  It is no longer in the realm of $100 a plate dinners but often in the cost of a seed and healthy soil.

On the other side of this, the pretenders are getting out of the way.  Those who were motivated by profit and fame (such as it is) have to make way for the mother of two who tore up her driveway to make it a garden so that she can feed her children.  Secret underground dining clubs are becoming a thing of the past, in that they are no longer secret.  They are no longer underground.  They are becoming interesting things where people are coming together and expanding their circles; long tables that have water bottles, paper plates and paper cups instead of Spieglau wine glasses and fine china.

When people ask me about farm to table, they speak with a fear. They talk about it like it is something outlandish and in the same vein as driving a Maserati.  Or as if it is something just for the "hipsters" among us.  It just is not the case any more.  Good food is good food and the field is ever widening. So we are seeing the death of "Farm to Table" and the rebirth of farm to table.