Center for Regional Food Systems

Where did the food on your plate come from, and how did it get there? One way that it could have made the journey is through the help of a food hub.  

Food hubs are mission-driven businesses or organizations that manage aggregation, distribution, and marketing of produce and packaged goods, so that communities can more easily access food produced in their region. These entities strengthen local economies, promote public health, and foster environmental and food systems resilience. Due to the impactful role food hubs play in their surrounding food systems, Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems (CRFS) has conducted a National Food Hub Survey, a collaborative project with partners, since 2012. 

The Results are In: 2025 National Food Hub Survey 

The 2025 National Food Hub Survey was the 6th iteration of this longitudinal survey project and completed in partnership with University of Michigan Program Evaluation Group (UM PEG). This survey captured business data from and experiences by food hubs for the 2024 calendar year. With 100 responses from across the country, including 27 states and the District of Columbia, the findings of this survey underscore the state of the food hub sector, food hubs’ role in institutional sales, the financial landscape, market shifts, and network opportunities.  

7 Key Takeaways from the 2025 National Food Hub Survey:  

1) Food hubs support farmers.

Surveyed hubs purchased from an average of 49 farms, and for 85% of hubs most or all of their purchases were from small to mid-sized farmers. Due to their role in bringing products together from multiple sources and available transportation infrastructure, food hubs are leading distributors of locally grown products to institutional buyers. They support farmers and food businesses by creating a streamlined market channel for products. 

2) Food hubs want farmers to succeed, and people and economies to thrive. 

When asked, food hubs value local food sourcing, farmer viability, and regional food systems resiliency the most. Survey findings have continued to provide insights into the values and missions of food hubs, demonstrating that these organizations consistently deliver more than food. Food hubs’ organizational values distinguish them from other types of aggregators and distributors. 

3) Food hubs sales to institutions are growing. 

Between the 2021 and the 2025 surveys, food hubs average gross sales to schools more than tripled and average gross sales to food banks or pantries nearly doubled. Alongside that, over 50% of responding hubs have relied on grant funding. This type of funding, often from the federal or state-level, is the dominant source that encourages and enables institutions, such as schools and hospitals, to purchase local produce from food hubs. 

4) SNAP dollars support local farmers and communities through food hubs. 

Food hubs demonstrate their commitment to food access by accepting payment through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Twenty hubs reported redeeming a total of $386,214, or an average of $16,092 SNAP dollars, in 2024. These organizations enable their communities to develop their local food systems in ways that build food security and resilience. 

5) Hubs provide jobs. 

Surveyed food hubs vary greatly in size, ranging from 1 to over 300 employees. While food hubs as entities employ an average of 14 employees, they also support the viability of food and farm businesses in their region.  

6) Hubs invest in their communities. 

In addition to prioritizing activities that support producers and sustainability, many food hubs also support the resilience of their communities. Most hubs include community members in decisions (81%), reinvest a portion of their profits in the surrounding community (55%), and recruit community residents as employees (51%). As mission and value driven organizations, food hubs work within their region to meet the needs of the community and increase representation within the decision-making process.  

7) Hubs see growth opportunities ahead, meaning more markets for farmers. 

Hubs see possibilities to increase sales across multiple market channels in 2026. Nearly 60% of hubs see growth in the direct-to-consumer market, 55% in the restaurant and bakery markets, 52% in the K-12 school food service market, 49% in the small retail market, and 37% in the colleges and universities market, among other opportunities. 

These findings were also shared with the National Food Hub Network Community of Practice who shared ideas on how the results of this survey and their own experience working with the food hub sector can inform support for hubs. 

For an overview of the evolution of survey results by survey year and by region, readers can explore through this interactive National Food Hub Survey Data Dashboard. 

Looking ahead 

Food hubs not only enable movement of locally grown food from US farms to schools and local consumers, but they also create a lasting impact by building local economies and community resilience. Continued research through tools such as the National Food Hub Survey has the potential to bring together food hubs, influence funders, and revolutionize food systems across the country.

To help CRFS continue this long-term research, consider supporting our mission to engage the people of Michigan and beyond in applied research, education and outreach to develop regionally integrated, sustainable food systems.

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About Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems  

The Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems advances regionally-rooted food systems through applied research, education, and outreach. We do this by uniting the knowledge and experience of diverse stakeholders with that of MSU faculty and staff. Our work fosters a thriving economy, equity, and sustainability for Michigan, the nation, and the planet by advancing systems that produce food that is healthy, green, fair, and affordable. Learn more: foodsystems.msu.edu