A growing trend has the ringing of a doorbell heralding the arrival of healthy food. In addition to the convenience, time and fuel savings of having a grocery delivery van make one combined round trip to multiple customers’ doorsteps instead of individual roundtrips to the market, it also generates far fewer vehicle emissions. Boston home deliveries of local and organic fresh fruits and vegetables have customers clamoring for more.

Something GUD (SomethingGUD.com) delivers a full diet of groceries directly from the local community of family farms, butchers, fishermen, bakers and cheese makers to customers’ doors each week. As more people become interested in eating local, sustainable food, Something GUD provides research into the best local businesses that believe in sustainable practices and make the highest quality products. Customers can then purchase these products online, saving time and reducing one’s carbon footprint, while investing in local family businesses.

Since 2002, Boston Organics (BostonOrganics.com) has been working directly with organic farms and wholesalers to deliver boxes of fresh, certified organic produce directly to homes and offices, year-round. They also offer organic bulk, seasonal and local specialty grocery items, including eggs, cheese and bread that can be purchased as “add-ons” to a weekly or bi-weekly produce box. Additionally, they provide an e-newsletter with storage tips, recipes and notes about the produce.

“Boston Organics provides a vital link between farmers and consumers. When farmers partner with Boston Organics, they can focus on growing the finest quality organic produce with minimal environmental impact because they know that they will have a reliable market at the end of the season,” says Boston Organics President Jeffrey Barry. “Our emphasis on a transparent exchange with our customers ensures that consumers understand where their food is coming from and what it takes to get it from the field to their kitchen.”

Going a step further, other companies are delivering prepared healthy meals. The Foodery (FooderyBoston.com) delivers meals prepared from organic, local and sustainable ingredients and delivers them to busy families and professionals. The company posts a new menu each week, orders are placed online by Thursday nights and meal bundles are delivered by Sunday evenings so customers can have their meals for the busy work week.

They recently moved into a new 4,000-sq.-foot kitchen facility, in South Boston, launching a Kickstarter campaign with a fundraising goal of $100,000 to help finance new kitchen equipment and a menu expansion. “Through the industrialization of agriculture, food is more abundant than ever, yet greatly compromised,” says Michael Speights, co-founder. “The Foodery believes real health starts with knowing the origins of our food and how food nourishes our bodies, affects our world and sustains life.”