FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS
How Safe, Affordable Food Reaches Our Tables
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Many people with many different jobs, skills, and knowledge sets contribute to our food system, ensuring that Americans have ongoing access to safe, affordable supplies of food. The diagram below represents the journey our food takes from the farm to our tables.
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Input Companies
Farmers buy seed, fertilizer, fuel, livestock feed, and other products at supply companies at the start of the season and throughout the year.
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Farmers and Ranchers
3.4 million farmers, ranchers, and growers across the U.S. plant and harvest the commodities that form the building blocks for our food.
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Traders and Brokers
Help farmers and ranchers find markets for their products and connect them to food company partners.
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Food Companies
A variety of companies process commodities grown on farms to make the value-added foods we eat. Examples included wheat milled into flour or tomatoes crushed to make spaghetti sauce.
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Food Retailers
Grocery stores, outlets, online services, and restaurants sell ready-to-purchase food to consumers.
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​Consumers
All Americans are consumers of the food delivered through the food value chain.
