Everything You Need to Know About the Farm-to-Table & Grow-Your-Own-Food Movement

The Farm-to-Table Movement has grown over the past years, and people thought it would just be another fad in the restaurant industry. It turns out it’s going strong and is now a mainstay not just in the food and hospitality sector but even in the workplace and residential spaces.??

What is the Farm-to-Table Movement

The Farm-to-Table Movement, also called Farm-to-Plate or Farm-to-Fork Movement, emerged as consumer preferences evolved. The rise of the processed food empire and the need for fresh, organic, and sustainable food production led to this social movement. It’s where restaurants source their ingredients straight from local farms instead of being shipped long distances via a middleman. This direct approach ensures fresher, more nutritious, and more sustainable products.?

However, in a country like Singapore, where we rely on 90% of our nutritional needs from abroad, Farm-to-Table isn’t quite as direct as we thought; the average Farm-to-Table journey for leafy greens to reach Singapore is a staggering 2000km. Hence, growing your own food and supporting your local farmers is the only way to be sustainable and get the most out of your nutrition intake.

The Benefits of the Supporting Local Farms & Growing Your Own Food:

Whether you’re a local consumer supporting this movement or a restauranter looking to adopt this efficient and sustainable approach, you can enjoy the benefits of the movement:

• Improved Nutrition and Health: The better the quality of the produce, the better its nutritional value. There are more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants retained in fresh ingredients. Consumers can enjoy maximum nutritional value since the time between harvest and consumption is significantly reduced. The Farm-to-Table movement is also about organic farming and reducing reliance on synthetic chemicals for growing crops. This helps consumers avoid chemical exposure risks and consume natural and organic produce with peace of mind.

• Fresh and Quality Ingredients: Fresh ingredients do not only guarantee nutritional value but also a high-quality taste. Because they don’t have to be transported and stored for long periods, the farm-to-table trend ensures that the products and ingredients are as fresh as possible. Fresh ingredients have more intense and vibrant flavours as compared to preserved alternatives. The aroma and texture of natural produce allow for a juicier and more satisfying taste experience.?

• Trust and Transparency: The great thing about purchasing from your local farmers and markets is that you know the origin of your food. Knowing how the product is planted, harvested, and distributed fosters a sense of trust and transparency. Many consumers have lost trust in organic labels as some regulations have loosened due to corporate influence. Many products labelled ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ no longer meet the expected standards. Sourcing locally is a great way to restore consumer trust and ensure product integrity.

• Environment Preservation: Long-distance travel is one of the reasons for environmental degradation because they add up to the carbon footprint emitted from transportation. With the Farm-to-Table movement, there is an emphasis on sourcing local food from sustainable and organic farming methods. There are fewer interactions with supply chains and packaging, thus resulting in lower energy consumption and greenhouse emissions.

How to be part of the Farm-to-Table Movement

Anyone can benefit from and join the Farm-to-Table Movement. Besides sourcing ingredients locally, there is now an evolving trend that is rapidly gaining traction. This solution ensures even fresher and more high-quality produce.?

What if you can Grow Your Own Food in your own establishment, indoors, effortlessly?

Gobrix empowers urban communities to lead healthy, sustainable lives with maximum efficiency. Grobrix is the world’s first modular edible green wall designed to brighten up your commercial or residential space and enable better yields and faster growth of over 50 varieties of fruits and vegetables. Having an indoor vertical farm ensures year-round production irrespective of the weather condition. Urban living environments can make the most of this cost-effective, space-efficient, and sustainable approach.

Grobrix for Hospitality

Whether you run a café, restaurant, food cooperative, farmer’s market, hotel, or food hub, you can benefit from Grobrix’s full-service offering. Grobrix offers a subscription-based Farming-as-a-Service (FaaS) solution. All you need is at least 2 meters of indoor wall space, water, and electricity, and Grobrix will take care of the rest—from assembling the edible wall to delivering and planting seedlings to regular cleaning and maintenance. We are eager to help empower more restaurants and establishments in Singapore and beyond to deliver the Farm-to-Table experience. We believe that fresh and nutritious should be made more accessible and cost-effective. We understand the need for efficiency and innovation in the food industry, and we are ready to fill the gap and make it easier for businesses to upgrade their sustainability practices while giving their customers maximum value.

By purchasing from local farmers, you can also get recognised by Singapore Food Agency and receive your stamp of approval for displaying commitment to sustainable practices.?

Grobrix for Workplace

Even office spaces can take advantage of edible green walls. It not only provides the aesthetics of a green wall feature to the space, but it showcases sustainability and creates a sense of place and engagement for the employees.?

If you employ Grobrix in your business premise, you can also get points accredited toward the BCA Green Mark by the Building and Construction Authority and become WELL certified by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) . Enhance your marketability and reputation and signify your commitment to sustainability with Grobrix.?

We are proud to have empowered the offices of Fortune 500 companies, including 达能 , 渣打银行 , TikTok , LinkedIn , SAP , 索迪斯 , and more. We support companies’ Corporate Social Responsibilities initiatives, wellness practices, and sustainability goals. We are committed to empowering more workplaces to pursue the same initiatives.

Grobrix for Home

Apart from businesses, even residential spaces are taking advantage of the Farm-to-Table concept. When you grow your own food at home, you aren’t only ensuring fresh produce and a healthy lifestyle. You’re also helping the environment by minimising food waste and eliminating packaging waste. Our vertical garden is also space-efficient and aesthetically pleasing for any interior. And since we offer an all-inclusive solution, even the black thumbs can grow their own food with minimal effort— not to mention enjoying a wide variety of edibles all year round. We offer even the seedlings that you cannot buy from the supermarkets. Be it Butterhead Lettuce, Bolloso Basil, Purple Kale, Rainbow Chard, or Chye Sim, we got it covered.

Conclusion

The Farm-to-Table Movement transforms how we approach food production and consumption. It’s liberating to be able to take charge of the quality of our produce and contribute to environmental preservation. With this more mindful approach to food, consumers can have better options towards a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.

Ready to join the movement? Contact us and have Grobrix transform your business and home.