Welcome to FoodieLink! We hope to be a community and resource you turn to on a day to day basis to better eat and enjoy good food with family, friends, and other FoodieLink members. And we hope you take a few minutes now to join our community.

We created FoodieLink for everyone who shares a passion for delicious, healthful food produced in a way that is good for people and good for the planet. Increasingly people are realizing that food really does matter. The choices we make about food and eating, arguably more so and more often than anything else we do, have a profound impact on our quality of life, our health, the well-being of our families and communities, and the global environment. FoodieLink is not just for those already eating in a relatively healthy and responsible way, but for all those people including me and members of our team who realize they have much to learn and improve upon and want to move more in this direction.

People often asked me why I started FoodieLink. There are a number of factors that led up to the decision to embark on this venture, and the main ones are: a growing personal interest in food and healthy eating and observing there was a movement afoot towards better eating and food systems; the recognition that social media, a community, and a merchant network could really help people eat better; longstanding involvement with environmental causes, organizations, and ventures; and a strong interest in social entrepreneurship and experience with interactive businesses as well as corporate enterprise that helped me conceptualize and build FoodieLink with a talented and passionate team.

While I have long enjoyed cooking and shopping at farmers markets and stands and grew up in a family where home cooked meals were routinely enjoyed around the dining room table, being a busy, urban professional limited the amount of time I put into buying and preparing good food. Having two kids and seeing how they ate was a major catalyst for me to become more thoughtful about food. As many parents will attest, it’s both amazing and alarming how kids are drawn to sweet, processed foods, and what a challenge it can be to compel them to eat healthier food like vegetables and fruit! I put more thought into what we were buying and eating, starting with organic milk and then other food choices as I learned more through books and workshops. I also became increasingly aware that our diet is a major factor in the health problems we face as a nation especially the unusually high rates of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and other “Western Diseases” and the destruction of the global environment.

There are “challenges” to eating well that social media, a relatively recent phenomenon, and a merchant network are very well suited to addresses. I will call them the “Four Cs” – apologies for sounding like too much of an MBA:

Confusion: People often feel that they don’t understand enough about food including health aspects, where it comes from, how healthy and delicious and satisfying go together versus conflict, how it impacts the environment, and where to find better (e.g. local, organic, sustainable) food in their neighborhood. FoodieLink will address this through great content from food and nutrition experts and community interaction and knowledge-sharing.

Convenience: It can be harder to access good food based on your neighborhood and the food stores and options that are accessible. FoodieLink will help members understand where they can get good food and to access it in a way that is convenient, for example grocers, restaurants, and even CSAs that deliver good food.

Cost: Eating healthier and more naturally created food tends to be more expensive, at least in the short run – health problems and lower energy and productivity associated with poor food actually make good food a good investment. FoodieLink will bring members special offers and discounts and help members learn about more affordable options for buying good food.

Community: How we eat is influenced by how those around us eat including our families, our circle of friends, and colleagues at work. FoodieLink is a community of people who want to eat better and will support each other in so doing.

I encourage you to join the FoodieLink community and come often to get more engaged in the rewards, enjoyment, and well being that comes with good eating and community. And please spread the word to your friends and family and encourage them to join as well!

Here's to your good eating!

Mark E. Dingle Founder, FoodieLink