The international seafood supply chain was disrupted in the wake of the pandemic but small fisheries in the northwest have tapped into new local markets. The fisheries, which generally depend on exporting seafood internationally as well as supplying restaurants, have found an interest among local consumers in fresh seafood that has led to community-supported fisheries and includes meal kits. Smaller operations have found it easier to pivot to regional customers and have taken the opportunity to build a stronger regional food system which creates a sustainable seafood market.

Federal funding helped local food producers expand their operations to include processing plants which enables farmers to meet the demand of Montanans who sought an alternative to the empty grocery store shelves. The lack of processing plants has caused a bottleneck in the local food supply chain, a sore point which was amplified when the pandemic disrupted international supply chains, sending shoppers to their neighborhood farms. Small operators rarely have their own processing plants and must outsource that step in order to take their products to market.

By collaborating with other businesses, nonprofits, and institutions, food processing enterprises in Montana are expanding the local supply chain to keep food in the state. The Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center packages food for a local grower's co-op, which distribute Montana products to individuals, grocery stores, and restaurants. The Livingston Food Resource Center created its own partnerships by buying its food from Montana farmers to give to people experiencing economic hardship. These collaborations are reducing the costs for local food processing, which also cuts down on costs for customers.

Small businesses, such as Lively Run Goat Dairy, were able to quickly pivot during the initial chaos in the aftermath of pandemic shutdowns. The small dairy farm was able to salvage hundreds of pounds of milk that was set to be dumped by large industrial farms. It bought the milk with initial donations through GoFundMe and made cheese which was delivered free of charge to local food banks. Their nimble pivot to “strengthen distribution systems and feed their community” was even praised by the governor of NY who went on to create a project that connects farmers with food banks.

As middle men between farmers and consumers, food hubs in New Hampshire are eliminating the marketing and distribution typically done by food producers. Food hubs streamline the process of procuring local goods for customers who want various products without the hassle of multiple purchases and pickups. The aggregation of local produce strengthens infrastructure that enables farmers to increase output especially as demand for locally grown foods have increased since the onset of the pandemic.