Official Site of The State of New Jersey

This work in approximately five words: 

The Increasing NJ Value-Added Processing Capacity for Local Food Security and Farm Sales project is supported by OFSA's New Jersey Food System Enhancements Program (FSEP). The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey (NOFA NJ), alongside Ironbound Farm, Organic Food Incubator, Foodshed Alliance, Rolling Harvest Food Rescue, and Farmers Against Hunger, is expanding opportunities for value-added food processing while strengthening food security efforts across New Jersey.

The project creates new pathways for small, beginning, and underserved producers to transform excess or surplus crops into shelf-stable food products that can be distributed through hunger relief organizations and sold through local markets. Through collaborative processing activities, participating farms will gain access to expertise, facilities, and support that reduce barriers to entering value-added markets.

Ironbound Farm will serve as an aggregation and coordination hub, while food rescue and gleaning partners help identify and recover excess produce during peak growing seasons. Together, project partners are reducing food waste, increasing producer revenue opportunities, and expanding the availability of locally produced food products for food pantries, food banks, and community organizations. The initiative demonstrates how food security and agricultural economic development goals can be advanced simultaneously through collaborative food system investments.

This project advances the New Jersey Food Security Strategic Plan through Strategy 2.3: Market Channel Creation and Focus Area 2.4: Food Enterprise Investment.