TRAVERSE CITY -- The Northwest Michigan Council of Governments has received a $200,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for a regional food hub in Traverse City.

The Grand Traverse Regional Food Market Committee is working on developing the hub in the hold state hospital commissary building at the Grand Traverse Commons.

"The grant is one more source of funding that supports a growing regional agriculture and good economy in northern Michigan," said Susan Cocciarelli, a member of the Regional Food Market Committee.

The Regional Market Committee was formed in 2010 to develop an aggregation and distribution site to help growers, processors, wholesalers, and retailers access the regional market for food and agricultural products.

The market will serve the northwest Michigan area, acting as a hub for the many activities that support the local food movement.

Cocciarelli says the market will help farmers build their businesses and help retailers meet the growing demand for locally grown food.

The grant will be used to build controlled temperature storage for a variety of different products and also to cultivate more business for the market.