Kellogg Foundation Funds Local Food

When you think of local food, Kellogg is not the first name that springs to mind. No, instead it's sugary cereals (okay, and some non-sugary ones), which are some of the most iconic products of our industrial, processed food system.

So it may come as somewhat of a surprise to hear that the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a foundation started by cereal maven Will Keith Kellogg in 1930 and still funded by an endowment formed by his money in 1934, has announced $32.5 million in grants to support local food systems, according to the Washington Post.

This news points to the fact that the conversation on local and sustainable foods is starting to make headway. If a foundation that enjoys a close relationship with a mainstream industry player is putting its money on local food -- urban agriculture and local-produce-heavy school lunches no less -- then we know the ground is shifting.

While we may have come to see Kellogg's products as unhealthful options for children -- to the point that we protest when some of them are labeled smart eating choices -- back in 1930, Kellogg prided himself on creating "better-for-you breakfast food," according to the company Website (the company apparently still does -- the question remains, however: "which products?" and "better than what?"). In line with Kellogg's vision of bringing healthful foods to families, the foundation's mission is to support children, families and communities. What is notable is that they now see supporting local food systems as a good way to do that.

The Kellogg grants will support nine projects with a range of goals, including bringing more fresh, local produce to schools, introducing mobile fruit venders to low-income food deserts and developing an unused-land inventory to help the urban farming movement in Boston. These projects bring the Kellogg Foundation's support of food and farming to almost $80 million in a bit over a decade.

Photo courtesy of ItzaFineDay via flickr