The Minnesota Grown Logo and the
Local Foods Movement
Paul Hugunin
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Food Safety Partnership
Videoconference
June 10, 2009
The Minnesota Grown Program
What does the logo mean?
At least 80% of the product
labeled must have been
grown or raised on a
Minnesota farm
MN Statutes 17.102
MN Rules Chapter 1556
Licensing
Requirement
Farmers who use the logo must
receive an annual license from
MDA. ($20 per year)
Minnesota’s Statewide Buy Local
Campaign for Over 20 Years!
Grocers, restaurants and other
retailers may use the logo without
a license.
Diverse Membership
What about “Home Grown”?
960+ members
Farmers’ markets
Fruits & veggies (orchards, berry farms…)
Livestock & meat
Wineries
CSA farms
Garden centers
Honey, maple syrup, crop mazes…..
Raw fruit and raw vegetables
labeled or advertised as "Home
Grown" and offered for sale in
Minnesota must specify the place of
origin in letters of a size and form
identical to the term "Home Grown."
MN Rules Chapter 1550.3050
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What is Local?
Survey of 500 metro area consumers
3 farmers’ markets
2 supermarkets
1 natural foods store
Dr. Robert King
Department of Applied Economics
University of Minnesota
What does “local” mean
to MN consumers?
The Local Foods
Movement is
Growing!
740 listings
190,000 copies
Improved Online Directory!
150,000+ unique visitors per year
Under 60 mile radius: 44%
60-175 mile radius
12%
200+ mile radius
42%
There is no widely accepted
definition of “local”
“The local food movement has been
all about buying seasonal food from
nearby farmers. Now, thanks to the
Web, it is expanding to include faraway farmers too.”
Unique visitors to
www.minnesotagrown.com nearly
tripled in 2007 & more than doubled
in 2008!
Oxford’s Word of the
Year in 2007?
• “Locavore”
Article in NY Times 1-16-09
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In store signs: Lunds & Byerly’s
“The Gray Potato Farm
has supplied red
potatoes to Lunds &
Byerly’s for 10 years.
The 4th-generation
family farm began in
Brooklyn Park in the
1940s. Today it’s located
in Clear Lake, managed
by brothers Paul and
Gary Gray.”
Bushel Boy Farms
Annually:
• 1.8 million packages with
the Minnesota Grown
logo
Local & organic are not
mutually exclusive!
A new logo
combines
Minnesota Grown
& Organic for use
on certified
organic products
Questions?
www.minnesotagrown.com
651-201-6510
Private Labeling
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