2. local school lunchrooms, college dining halls, or These programs also provide opportunities for
cafeterias in other institutions. To help commu- student involvement in related educational and
nities initiate similar programs, this publication community-based activities such as composting,
includes resource lists of: recycling, and community gardening.
✦ Publications on how to initiate and POTENTIAL CONSTRAINTS
manage farm-to-school and farm-to-institu- While schools and institutions a generation
tion programs. ago relied heavily on local products for meal
✦ Sources of funding and technical assistance planning and preparation, the majority of today’s
from government and non-government pro- institutions use food obtained through national
grams. food distributors. Much of this food is processed
and prepared by food service companies, thus
✦ Provisions within the 2002 Farm Bill support-
eliminating the need for schools and institutions
ing implementation of farm-to-school and
to have cooking staff or kitchen facilities. Simul-
other community food programs.
taneously, the huge growth in the fast foods in-
dustry has affected food preferences of both chil-
BENEFITS AND CONSTRAINTS dren and adults. As a result, students and other
institutional customers often reject, rather than
OF FARM-TO-SCHOOL OR embrace, the introduction of fresh salads, fruit
plates, or other dishes prepared from local pro-
INSTITUTION PROGRAMS duce (1).
BENEFITS PROGRAM COORDINATION
As mentioned above, selling to schools, To be successful, farm-to-school programs
colleges, hospitals, prisons, or other institu- must have a good buying, selling, and distri-
tions provides smaller- bution system. Food ser-
scale farmers with a de- vice buyers want to make
pendable market. For their food purchases us-
consumers, local pro- ing a one-stop shopping
duce means fresh food approach that allows
from a known source. them to order, receive,
Breakfasts and lunches and pay for produce in an
provided by schools efficient and cost-effec-
are often the major tive manner. Farmers
source of nutrition for want a dependable buyer
children from low-in- who pays them a reason-
come homes. At other in- able price, while not re-
stitutions, the food ser- quiring them to absorb
vice may be the pre- excess processing or dis-
dominant, if not only, A good way to get students interested in eating vegetables tribution expenses.
source of food for con- and fruit is having them grow produce in school gardens.
sumers. Consumers
who have access to local food in schools or other
institutions become more aware of local food sys-
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
tems and may be encouraged by the superior Kelli Sanger with the Washington State Depart-
taste and quality to increase their purchases of ment of Agriculture Small Farm and Direct Mar-
locally produced food through farmers markets, keting Program summarized distribution ap-
farm stands, or other venues. This has positive proaches that existing farm-to-school and farm-to-
ripple effects on the local economy. For colleges institution programs have used successfully (3):
and universities, farm-to-campus programs can ✦ A farmers’ cooperative acts as a distributor
help break down barriers between “town and and broker. Individual farmers belong to a
gown,” while stimulating the local economy. cooperative that collects their produce, then
PAGE 2 //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
3. Farmers & institutions: critical constraints they face
Both farmers and the schools or institutions they seek to serve face several critical constraints in the develop-
ment of farm-to-school or farm-to-institution programs. From the perspective
of the institution, these constraints include (2):
✦ Current contract agreements they have with food service compa-
nies
✦ Lack of knowledge of food service staff in how to store and prepare
fresh farm products and meet mandated portion requirements
✦ Food preferences of students and other consumers
✦ Lack of availability of many fresh farm products during certain times
of the year
✦ Lack of efficiency of ordering and payment procedures with farmers compared to contract food
service companies
✦ Institutions having limited funds to purchase food, while local foods often cost more than prod-
ucts available through contract food service companies
✦ Institutional access to free or low-cost foods through USDA surplus commodities programs
From the perspective of farmers, these constraints include whether they can:
✦ Supply food in quantities that meet the needs of the institution
✦ Assure food quality and food safety
✦ Obtain adequate liability insurance
✦ Get access to processing, packaging, and storage facilities
✦ Efficiently distribute and transport products to educational or institutional buyers
processes and distributes it to schools and/ tion where schools pick up farm products.
or institutions. Schools or institutions purchase produce at
Examples: New North Florida Cooperative a local farmers’ market. To ensure that insti-
of Small Farmers and University of Wis- tutional buyers get the type and quantity of
consin campus diner service program produce they desire, orders are placed in ad-
vance with specific vendors. A coordinator
✦ A non-profit organization acts as distributor is required to order, pick up, and deliver pro-
and broker. A community-based nonprofit or- duce from the market to the schools.
ganization serves as a liaison between grow-
ers and institutional buyers. The organization Example: Santa Monica-Malibu School Dis-
receives food orders from institutions and co- trict and the Occidental College Center for Food
ordinates with the cooperating farmers to fill and Justice
and deliver the order. ✦ State government acts as the distributor of
Example: All-Iowa Meals project with Iowa state commodities and produce. The State
State University Department of Agriculture works with the
U.S. Department of Defense produce procure-
✦ A local wholesaler acts as distributor and bro- ment program to identify and contract with
ker. A local food wholesaler picks up, pro- farmers. These agencies coordinate the pur-
cesses, and delivers produce to schools and/ chase and distribution of produce for the pro-
or institutions. gram.
Example: America Fresh Distribution Example: North Carolina Department of
System
Agriculture and Consumer Services
✦ Farmers’ markets serve as the central loca- ✦ Fresh Produce Program: The U.S. Depart-
//BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS PAGE 3
4. ment of Defense (DOD) acts as a procurement institution of the benefits of buying from local
agency for produce used in school lunch pro- farmers (2). Smaller-scale farmers may need to
grams. It purchases food from farmers and form cooperative agreements with other farm-
then serves as vendor to the schools. The ers in the area or work through existing distri-
DOD does not deliver produce to schools. bution networks, such as the U.S.
Examples: North Carolina, Florida, Tennes- Department of Defense procurement
see, Kentucky, and Washington State are agency, to provide schools and institutions with
working with the U.S. Department of Defense the necessary volume of farm products on a con-
in coordination with theUSDA’s Small tinuing basis (4). Often, farmers can form initial
Farms/School Meals Initiative. California and agreements with schools and institutions by
Illinois also have agreeing to provide
pilot programs un- products that serve a
Suggestions for creating contracts particular niche, such as
derway.
Once farmers have an initial agreement to foods favored by vari-
✦ Food service compa- supply food to schools or institutions, they ous cultural groups or
nies as intermediaries should draw up finalized contracts that include products that are hard
in farm-to-campus the following components (5): to obtain through the
programs. Private ✦ The total estimated volume usual institutional food
food service compa- of each item to be delivered service companies (4).
nies that contract Several face-to-face
with colleges and ✦ The time an item will be ripe,
when it will be delivered, and acceptable meetings between the
universities to pro- farmer and the institu-
seasonal substitutes
cure, process, and de- tional buyer may be nec-
liver food to cafete- ✦ The amount and price of standing order essary before an agree-
rias procure some of items ment can be signed. In-
their meat and pro- stitutional buyers will
✦ Delivery schedule: time of day, frequency,
duce from local farm- probably need to visit
and location
ers rather than the farm or cooperative
through institutional ✦ Packing requirements: standard box, grade,
site to inspect the fields
brokers. loose pack, bulk, etc.
and washing and cool-
E x a m p l e s : ✦ Postharvest handling practices; is the prod- ing facilities. The
Aramark at Slippery uct pre-cooled? farmer may encourage a
Rock University in ✦ Processes for meeting health and safety visit from institutional
Pennsylvania, standards chefs, who generally are
Burlington Food Ser- trained to appreciate
✦ Cost per unit, payment terms, payment
vices at Middlebury food quality and fresh-
process
College in Vermont, ness.
Bon Appetit at Ever- Once the farm-insti-
green State College in tution link is established, some institutions hold
Washington. an annual training for their food service staff at
a participating farm. During these trainings, staff
FARMER AGREEMENTS WITH can see, taste, and prepare the produce freshly
SCHOOLS OR INSTITUTIONS harvested from the field. They can also meet par-
Farmers who propose to sell food products ticipating farmers to learn about growing and
to schools or institutions need to carefully ana- harvesting produce and suggest additional vari-
lyze what they can offer, when they can provide eties for the farmer to grow.
it, and the quantity that they can deliver. If they Farmers wanting to establish and maintain
are approaching a school or institution that has marketing agreements with schools or institu-
not previously made purchases from farmers, tions should be particularly sensitive to the need
producers also need to conduct some basic mar- to deliver their products in a timely manner that
ket research to determine what products the is consistent with food preparation schedules.
school wants or needs. Their products also need to be stored in a man-
In addition, producers need to convince the ner that retains product freshness until the con-
PAGE 4 //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
5. Table 1. Funding and Assistance Programs
Program Comments Web
Procurement Programs
Department of Defense Fresh The DOD developed a partnership with the USDA DOD certification
Produce Program in 1994 that would enable the national school lunch requirements and
program to use DOD’s procurement and distribu- application: <http://
tion system for fresh fruits and vegetables. School 131.82.241.3/contract/
districts pay an overhead fee of 5.8% to use this new.htm>
procurement service. Farmers must be registered
through the Defense Supply Center’s Central Con- DOD Fresh Produce
tractor Registration database. Program: <http://
www.dscp.dla.mil/subs/>
USDA-AMS Commodity While many commodity purchases use strict com- USDA/AMS Food
Procurement Program petitive bidding processes, other purchases are ex- Purchase Resources:
plicitly designed to increase the participation of
<http://www.ams.usda.
small, minority-owned, or economically disadvan-
gov/cp/resources.htm>
taged business as suppliers to the National School
Lunch Program and other federally sponsored feed-
ing programs. Purchases are made in semitrailer
load quantities.
AMS, Federal-State The FSMIP gives high priority to small farms, di- Description of the
Marketing Improvement rect marketing, and sustainable agriculture prac- application process for
Program tices. Grants awarded to state-sponsored mar- SMIP grants: <http://
keting projects. www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/
fsmip.htm>
United States Department of Agriculture Programs
Cooperative State Research, The USDA-CSREES Web site has a wealth of in- <http://
Education, and Extension formation and links to a variety of programs related www.reeusda.gov>
Service to food systems, including funding sources and
contacts for state and local partners.
This site has information and links to Rural Busi- <http://www.reeusda.
Rural Development ness Enterprise Grants and Rural Business Op- gov>
portunity Grants. It focuses on funding for agricul-
tural marketing and production innovations.
Rural Business Cooperative Rural Cooperative Development grants are made <http://www.rurdev.
Services for establishing and operating centers for coopera- usda.gov>
tive development for the primary purpose of improv-
Rural Cooperative ing the economic condition of rural areas through
Development Grant (RCDG) the development of new cooperatives and improv-
Program ing operations of existing cooperatives.
Rural Business Cooperative One objective of this program is to encourage in- <http://
Services dependent producers of agricultural commodities www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/
to further refine these products and increase their coops/tvadg.htm>
Value-Added Agricultural value to end users. The second objective is to
Product Market Development establish an information resource center to collect,
Grants (VADG) coordinate, and disseminate, information on value-
added processing to independent producers and
processors.
Continued on page 6
//BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS PAGE 5
6. Table 1. Funding and Assistance Programs, cont’d.
United States Department of Agriculture Programs, cont’d.
Food and Nutrition Lists the programs under the FNS, including Food Stamps, <http://
Service WIC/Farmers Markets, Food Distribution, Team Nutrition, www.fns.usda.gov/fns>
and Child Nutrition. Lists grants for state agencies includ-
ing Team Nutrition and Federal State Marketing Improve-
ment Program (FSMIP).
Sustainable Agriculture Funded by the USDA and organized by region, the SARE <http://www.sare.org>
Research and program has competitive grants that may be used to fund
Education (SARE) creation of new marketing strategies for farmers and other
Program innovative projects. SARE also funds multi-institutional,
collaborative approaches to sustaining local food systems.
American School Food Coordinates, along with USDA, the implementation of a <http://www.asfsa.org/
Service Assoication provision in the 2002 Farm Bill calling for the creation of a newsroom/sfsnews/
pilot program with school food services designed to in- fruitandvegpilot.asp>
crease the amount of fruits and vegetables children eat by
providing them free during the school day. Indiana, Michi-
gan, Iowa, and Ohio serve as pilot sites. Each of 25 schools
in each state may receive up to about $50,000 to offer
fresh and dried fruits and vegetables at no charge to all
children in the school .
The American School Food Service Association can pro-
vide information on industry trends and directions.
Community Food Federal grants to support the development of Community <http://www.reeusda.
Projects Competitive Food Projects designed to meet the needs of low-income gov/crgam/cfp/
Grant Program people by increasing their access to fresher, more nutri- community.htm>
tious food supplies; increase the self-reliance of commu-
nities in providing for their own food needs; and promote
comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutri-
tion issues.
National Non-governmental programs
Food and Society This is a project of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to sup- <http://www.
Initiative port the creation and expansion of community-based food foodandsociety.org/>
systems enterprises (CBEs) that are locally owned and
controlled, environmentally sound, and promote good
health.
Foundation Databases <ttp://
Community Foundation Lists foundations by state with an easy-to-use U.S. map <http://
Locator graphic. Also uses maps to show locations of each com- www.foodandsociety.org/
munity foundation. >
igrant.com Corporate and community foundations listed by state or <http://
grant category with links on "How to Write a Grant Pro- www.onlinegrants.com/
posal." Grant categories include environmental nonprofit wri_proposal.asp>
organizations and agricultural resources.
Foundation Center For a $20 monthly fee one can have access to and search <http://
the foundation center database for possible funding op- www.fdncenter.org/>
portunities. Many grant directories are also available.
PAGE 6 //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
7. tracted delivery time. Farmers may also need
to change their production schedules and the
manner in which they process and package
their products to meet the needs of the food ser-
vice provider (4).
PROGRAM
IMPLEMENTATION STEPS
The initial phase of program implementa-
tion is typically time consuming, involves sev-
eral face-to-face meetings, and may require the
purchase of processing, storage, or distribution Stanford Food Service Director, Nadeem Saddiqui,
equipment. This program development step usu- inspects organic strawberries at ALBA, the Agricultural
ally requires the work of a program coordinator Land Based Training Association.
or facilitator. Examples of initiators of farm-to-
school or farm-to-institution agreements include: ful farm-to-school or farm-to-institution pro-
gram will differ from one situation to the next.
✦ A government organization The common theme in all these steps is building
Example: Natural Resource Conservation a trusting relationaship between buyers and
Service (NRCS) working with the New sellers, which increases the sustainability of the
North Florida Cooperative Program program. To build this trust, it also helps to start
small (i.e., one school or one cafeteria, or even
✦ An interested college student
one type of food/produce, such as a salad bar),
Examples: Slippery Rock University in then build on successes.
Pennsylvania and the University of Wis- Often the first step in developing a farm-to-
consin school or farm-to-institution program involves
✦ A faculty member in the School of Hospitality the formation of a food advisory committee. For
a farm-to-school program this committee would
Examples: Pennsylvania College of Tech-
probably include farmers, food purchasers for the
nology and Cornell University
school, kitchen personnel, school board mem-
✦ A non-profit organization bers, and representatives from any coordinating
Example: Practical Farmers of Iowa selling organization. Based on the experience of exist-
farm products to Iowa State University and ing farm-to-school programs, this committee
Grinnell College guides new program development by (2, 4, 6):
✦ An interested food service director
Examples: High School District 211 in NW
Cook County, Illinois, and Williams College
in Massachussetts.
Farm-to-institution coordinators educate
food service buyers and consumers about the
benefits of using locally produced food. They
also serve as meeting coordinators and manage
the negotiation, inspection, and distribution pro-
cesses required to develop and maintain farm-
to-school or farm-to-institutions contracts. They
may also be responsible for seeking outside fi-
nancial assistance to cover management and
equipment costs.
Every effort should be made to make purchasing local
Specific steps used to implement a success- foods easy for institutional staff.
//BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS PAGE 7
8. ✦ Examining logistical and management con- — billing and payment systems
cerns such as: — regulations affecting food handling and
— type of food consumed by school chil- marketing practices
dren ✦ Addressing issues identified in the feasibil-
— cooking and storage facilities available ity study. In most cases this can involve de-
at schools veloping a pick-up, processing, and delivery
— food preparation skills of food service system, as well as a business office to coordi-
personnel nate orders, billing, and payment. The eco-
nomic sustainability of the program is impor-
— access to processing facilities (and cost) tant to keep in mind. In their initial years,
— amount of produce that schools can use many of these programs require external
and when funding, but that will last only a short time.
— type and amount of produce that farm- Many programs enlist volunteers, drawing
ers can provide and when on parental or student interest, but unless the
volunteers’ time is well coordinated, their in-
— processes for food quality and food safety terest will wane. Program development
oversight should include processes to “institutionalize”
— selling prices for produce contractual agreements between farmers and
— pick-up and distribution systems that are food service operations.
available and their cost ✦ Identifying or establishing a coordinator po-
Table 2. 2002 Farm Bill Provisions with Impact on Development of
Farm-to-School Programs
• Program must meet specific state, local, or neighborhood food
and agricultural needs, including needs for the creation of in-
novative marketing activities that mutually benefit agricultural
producers and low-income consumers.
• Program must encourage long-term planning activities and mulit-
Section 4125. system, interagency approaches, with multi-stakeholder collabo-
ration, that build the long-term capacity of communities to ad-
Food Assistance for dress their food and agricultural problems.
Stamp Act Community Food
Projects • Program must include innovative programs for addressing com-
mon community problems. To this end, grants will be available
to gather information and recommend innovative programs for
addressing a) loss of farms and ranches, b) rural poverty, c)
welfare dependency, d) hunger, e) need for job training, f) the
need for self-sufficiency by individuals and communities.
The Secretary shall encourage institutions participating in the
Section 4303. school lunch program under this Act and the school breakfast
Purchases of program established by section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966
locally produced (42 U.S.. 1773) to purchase, in addition to other food purchases,
Child foods locally produced foods for school meal programs, to the maxi-
Nutrition mum extent practicable and appropriate.
Program The Secretary shall carry out a pilot program to make available to
Section 4305. Fruit
and Vegetable Pilot students in 25 elementary or secondary schools in each of 4 states,
Program and in elementary or secondary schools on 1 Indian Reservation, free
fresh and dried fruits and fresh vegetables through the school day in 1
or more areas designated by the school.
PAGE 8 //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
9. sition or coordination structure to facilitate of established programs. Schools and institu-
communication and business management. tions are becoming increasingly receptive to
✦ Identifying and coordinating with available these programs, as are the food services with
funding or coordination structures such as which they contract. Funding and government
support for these programs is also becoming in-
U.S. Department of Defense procurement
creasingly available. The 2002 Farm Bill pro-
programs and local processing and distribu-
vides funds for selected schools in four pilot
tion facilities.
states (Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, and Ohio) to
✦ Assisting schools or institutions to identify offer fresh and dried fruits and vegetables to chil-
and obtain federal, state, or local exemptions dren at no charge (7). Based on a 1994 agree-
to standard competitive bidding require- ment between the United States Department of
ments when purchasing from local or minor- Agriculture and the U.S. Department of De-
ity-owned businesses. fense, national school lunch programs can use
✦ Assisting producers to increase the diversity the DOD procurement and distribution system,
of their products and extend their growing referred to as DOD Fresh, to obtain fresh fruits
season. and vegetables.
Local and state organizations are also work-
✦ Ensuring that the program maintains pro- ing to change policies to favor procurement of
fessionalism, accountability, and strict ad- locally produced foods. In New York State, NY
herence to food safety and quality standards. Farms! is urging the state legislature to ease the
✦ Helping integrate appreciation for food pro- bidding requirements for contracts with school
duction into the curriculum by developing lunch programs to allow school food
farm visits or other food-system-related ac- service directors to use more lo-
tivities for school children. cally produced foods. The Community Food Se-
curity Coalition works with local organizations
to develop farm-to-school programs, while the
SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS Center for Food and Justice in the Urban and En-
vironmental Policy Institute at Occidental Col-
Farmers and food service directors wanting
lege works to promote policies that make schools
to establish local farm-to-school or farm-to-insti-
healthier places to learn.
tution programs can learn from the experience
Table 3. United States Department of Agriculture Programs
Organization Web Based Information Web Address
Agricultural Marketing Direct marketing publications <http://www.ams.usda.gov/
Service directmarketing/publications.htm>
Comments: Several excellent farmer-direct marketing publications, including How Local Farmers
and School Food Service Buyers Are Building Alliances, and an overview of the New North Florida
Cooperative, an early, innovative farm-to-school effort. Also see the following Web page for a Power
Point presentation of the New North Florida Cooperative: <http://www.ezec.gov/Pubs/noflacoop.ppt>
Food and Nutrition • WIC and Senior Farmers’ Market <http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/>
Service Food Stamps
• Local purchase of produce for
school lunch programs
Comments: Farm Bill provisions, farm to school planning documents.
Cooperative State Community Supported Agriculture <http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/
Research, Education, and csa/csaorgs.htm>
Extension Service
Comments: This site has links to many others with information about CSAs, including a link to a
national state-by-state CSA database.
//BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS PAGE 9
10. Institutional markets like this Stanford,
CA, salad bar (left) are great for small
farmers. Fresh fruits and vegetables at
Malcolm X Middle School in Berkeley, CA,
(below) leave patrons smiling.
The farm-to-school and farm-to-in-
stitution programs described in the fol-
lowing resource list cover a broad range
of marketing interactions, food prod-
ucts, and types of community involve-
ment. For example:
✦ Farmers in north Florida formed a
coopera-tive to process and distribute col- to-school or farm-to-college programs can help
lard greens and other crops to local schools. promote more sustainable lifestyles on cam-
This cooperative has expanded its operations puses, in schools, and within the community.
to work with 15 school districts in three For example:
states, while also increasing its product line ✦ Bates College, Bowdoin College, Bastyr Uni-
and packaging capabilities (8). versity, Middlebury College, Slippery Rock
✦ Cafeterias at colleges and universities asso- University, and Tufts University all have
ciated with the University of Wisconsin sys- composting programs in conjunction with
tem purchase up to one-third of their ingre- their farm-to-college programs.
dients from local and organic farmers (10). ✦ Some schools’ food services have adopted
✦ Schools in upstate New York (11) and in Min- “green” mission statements to guide all their
nesota (12) provide markets for local farm- activities, not just food purchases. For ex-
ers, while seeking to influence children’s food ample, Northland College is adopting more
preferences, by involving youth with food in sustainable practices in its dining services,
many ways, including growing, harvesting, including switching to more environmen-
preparing, taste-testing, learning about it, and tally safe cleaning supplies, installing and
touring farms and farmers’ markets. using energy and water-saving devices, in-
creasing recycling and reuse efforts, and
✦ High schools in Pennsylvania have estab-
working with renewable energy sources.
lished School Market Programs where, by cre-
ating and operating farmers’ markets, stu- ✦ The Oberlin College Food Service purchases
dents learn about nutrition, food marketing, foods from local producers who support the
and the role of food in their community (13). rights of farm workers.
✦ Professors and students at the University of People interested in establishing farm-to-
Northern Iowa helped establish marketing school or farm-to-institution marketing arrange-
links between local farmers and a county hos- ments can also share their experiences at several
pital. The hospital now buys almost 25% of regional and national conferences.
its food locally (14). In 2002, the Community Food Security Coali-
tion (http://www.foodsecurity.org/index.html)
These programs also demonstrate how farm- sponsored the first national conference on Farm
PAGE 10 //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
11. to Cafeteria: Healthy Farms, Healthy Students. At: <http://www.asfsa.org/newsroom/
The enthusiastic response to this conference no sfsnews/fruitandvegpilot.asp>.
doubt ensures that other conferences and work- 8) Holmes, Glyen, Vonda Richardson, and
shops will focus on this subject in the future. Dan Schofer. 2002. Taking it to the next
level: Success of small Floida vegetable co-
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS op leads to a network of similar coopera-
tives. Rural Cooperatives. September/
The authors would like to express their thanks October. p. 18-23, 37. At: <http://
to NCAT Technical Specialists Nancy Matheson www.rurdev. usda.gov/rbs/pub/sep02/
and Julia Sampson for their insightful review of sep02.pdf>.
this document. Marion Kalb, the Farm to School 9) Mascarenhas, Michelle, and Robert
Coordinator for the Community Food Security Gottlieb. 2000. The Farmers’ Market Salad
Coalition, provided invaluable assistance Bar: Assessing the First Three Years of the
through her review of and many additions to Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School
the programs list. District Program. Community Food
Security Coalition, Los Angeles, CA. 24 p.
R EFERENCES 10) The College Food Project. Institutional
Food Purchasing. Center for Integrated
1) Stern, Robert. 2002. Community Food Se- Agricultural Systems. University of Wis-
curity Coalition listserve. November 1. consin. Web page. At: <http://
www.wisc.edu/cias/research/
2) Gregoire, Mary, Catherine A. Strohbehn, and
institut.html>.
Jim Huss. 2000. Local Food Connections
from Farms to Schools. Iowa State Univer- 11) Neff, Glenda. 2002. Community Food
sity. University Extension, Ames, IA. At: Security Coalition list serve. November 1.
<http://www.exnet. iastate.edu/>. 4 p.
12) Koester, Ulrich. 1999. Giving Children a
3) Sanger, Kelli. 2001. Creative ways to sell Role in Sustainable Agriculture. Midwest
and distribute locally produced foods to Food Connection, Minneapolis, MN. 28 p.
school and university cafeterias: Examples of
13) The Food Trust. Building Strong Comuni-
selling and distributing food from across the
ties Through Healthy Foods. Web page.
nation. Washington State Department of
At: <http://www.thefoodtrust. org/
Agriculture, Olympia, WA. 19 p.
schools.html>.
4) Tropp, Debra, and Surajudeen
14) Strohbehn, Catherine A., and Mary
Olowolayemo. 2000. How Local Farmers
Gregoire. 2002. Local Food Connections:
and School Food Service Buyers are Build-
Food Service Considerations. Iowa State
ing Alliances. USDA Agricultural Market-
University. University Extension. Ames,
ing Service, Washington, D.C. At: <http:/
IA. At: <http://www.extension.
/www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/mta/
iastate.edu/Publications/PM1853C.pdf>.
Farm%20To%20School%20Marketing.pdf>.
4 p.
30 p.
5) Visher, David. 1996. Selling Directly to
Local Schools. Small Farms Center, Uni-
versity of California, Davis, CA. At:
<http://www.sfc.ucdavis. edu/pubs/
SFNews/archive/96032.htm>. 2 p.
6) Valen, Gary. 2001. Local Food Project. A
How-to Manual. Humane Society of the
United States, Washington, D.C. 41 p.
7) USDA to Select Schools for Fruit and
Vegetable Pilot. Amerocam School Food
Service Association. asfsa.org Web page.
//BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS PAGE 11
13. Table 4. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Publications
Citation Annotation
USDA. Innovative Marketing Opportunities for Describes the formation and marketing
Small Farmers: Local Schools as Customers. strategies of the New North Florida Coop-
2000. USDA. 61 p. erative and its development of a farm-to-
http://www.ams.usda.gov/directmarketing/ school program.
publications.htm
USDA. Small Farms/School Meals Initiative A step-by-step guide of activities for groups
Town Hall Meetings. 2000. USDA Food and to plan, conduct, and publicize professional
Nutrition Service. 22 p. town meetings that encourage small
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/lunch/ farmers and local school food officials to
begin a farm-to-school project.
Tropp, Debra, and Surajudeen Olowolayemo. Provides an overview of lessons learned
2000. How Local Farmers and School Food from the USDA Small Farm/School Meals
Service Buyers are Building Alliances. USDA Workshop. Chapters include: Food ser-
Agricultural Marketing Service. 30 p. http:// vice preferences, Potential barriers for
www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/mta/ small farmers to enter into food service
Farm%20To%20School%20Marketing.pdf contracts, Strategies for small farmers
approaching school meal services, Gov-
ernment programs, Marketing checklist for
small farmers, and Marketing checklist for
school food service directors.
Azuma, Andrea, and Andy Fisher. 2001. This book describes in detail seven farm-
Healthy Farms, Healthy Kids: Evaluating the to-school projects from around the country,
Barriers and Opportunities for Farm to School examining the barriers and opportunities
Programs. Community Food Security Coali- surrounding farm-to-school programs,
tion. 64 p. including childhood obesity, the struggles
Available from the Community Food Security of family farmers, and the changing school
Coalition food environment with the rise of fast food
PO Box 209 and soft drinks in the school lunchroom.
Venice, CA 90294 The report also includes an analysis of
310-822-5410 federal policies related to nutrition and local
http://www.foodsecurity.org food systems, and makes a series of
policy recommendations.
Mascarenhas, Michelle, and Robert Gottlieb. The Occidental College Center for Food
2000. The Farmers’ Market Salad Bar: As- and Justice initiated the Farmers’ Market
sessing the First Three Years if the Santa Salad Bar at the Santa Monica-Malibu
Monica-Malibu Unified School District Pro- Unified School District. This booklet has
gram. Community Food Security Coalition. some preliminary data on cost of this
24 p. program and describes the potential for
Available from the Community Food Security such a program as well as problems
Coalition encountered.
PO Box 209
Venice, CA 90294
Continued on page 14
310-822-5410
//BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS PAGE 13
14. Table 4. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Publications, cont’d
Citation Annotation
Valen, Gary. 2001. Local Food Project. A An excellent resource for people interested
How-to Manual. Humane Society of the in starting a local food project. Drawing
United States. 41 p. upon his experience in developing a farm-to-
Available from the Humane Society of the college project at Hendrix College in Arkan-
United States sas, Valen outlines why local food systems
2100 L. St., NW are important and what steps to take to
Washington, DC 20037 implement a local food systems project.
202-452-1100 This booklet contains a good resource list.
Fax: 301-258-3081
http://www.hsus.org
Gregoire, Mary, Catherine A. Strohbehn, and Provides an overview of potential opportuni-
Jim Huss. 2000. Local Food Connections ties and issues to be addressed in imple-
from Farms to Schools. Iowa State University menting farm-to-school programs. This
Extension. 4 p. booklet also provides guidelines for individual
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/ farmers and community organizations
PM1853A.pdf seeking access to schools as markets.
UW CIAS. 2000. New markets for producers: This report, based on interviews with per-
selling to colleges. Research Brief 39. Uni- sonnel from six U.S. colleges with significant
versity of Wisconsin Center for Integrated local, sustainable food buying components,
Agricultural Systems. identifies opportunities and barriers facing
http://www.wisc.edu/cias/pubs/briefs/039.html producers who would like to market to
colleges. While these institutions are trying
to increase efficiency and meet budgetary
and safety requirements, marketing opportu-
nities do exist for producers of local,
sustainably produced food, even within the
largest and most structured food service
departments. Institutional food buyers were
more interested in buying locally produced
foods that benefited their communities than
they were in buying certified organic foods.
UW CIAS. 2001. Dishing up local food on Report on interviews conducted with food
Wisconsin campuses. Research Brief 55. service directors at 34 colleges and universi-
University of Wisconsin Center for Integrated ties in Wisconsin to learn more about their
Agricultural Systems. potential as local food buyers.
http://www.wisc.edu/cias/pubs/briefs/055.html
Koester, Ulrich. 1999. Giving Children a Role A guide to classroom and farm visit activities
in Sustainable Agriculture. Midwest Food for grade school students. These activities
Connection, Minneapolis, MN. 28 p. may be coordinated with a farm-to-school
612-871-0317, ext. 345 program to enhance student appreciation of
agriculture.
Continued on page 15
PAGE 14 //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
15. Table 4. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Publications, cont’d
Citation Annotation
University of Missouri. 2000. The Food The Food Circles Networking Project works
Circles Networking Project: Report on 1999– in the Columbia and Kansas City, MO, areas
2000 Activities. Missouri Community Food promoting local food systems, including
Systems and Sustainable Agriculture Pro- farmers’ markets, farm-to-school and farm-
gram. 4 p. to-institution programs, and community
http://www.foodcircles.missouri.edu/ gardens.
spring00.pdf
Vallianatos, Mark. 2002. Healthy School Food An evolving document that provides policy
Policies: A Checklist. Center for Food and recommendations for healthy school lunch
Justice, Urban & Environmental Policy programs, including integration with school
Institute, Occidental College. 10 p. educational, health, and environmental
http://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/ missions, and purchasing to promote
farm-paper-1.htm and community economic development and the
http://www.uepi.oxy.edu/schoolfoodschecklist livlihoods of local farmers.
Malloy, Claudia, Joy Johanson, and Margo Addresses goals and strategies for improv-
Wootan. 2003. CSPI School Foods Tool Kit. ing school foods and beverages and con-
Center for Science in the Public Interest. tains background materials and fact sheets
1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 300 on children’s diets and health, school meal
Washington, DC 20009 programs, and vending and other school
202-777-8352 food venues. It also has a section on tech-
E-mail: nutritionpolicy@cspinet.org niques that you can use to effect change,
http://www.cspinet.org/schoolfood/ with guidance and model materials for
communicating with decision makers, the
press, and other members of your commu-
nity.
McDermott, Maura. 2003. The Oklahoma A survey of 638 public institutions (including
Farm-To-School Report. Oklahoma Food colleges and universities, technology cen-
Policy Council/Kerr Center for Sustainable ters, prisons, state hospitals, and state
Agriculture. resorts) indicated that food managers have
Poteau, OK a significant interest in using more locally-
http://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/ofpc/ produced food in their food service pro-
farmtoschool.htm grams. They also thought that many of the
perceived obstacles could be solved through
education. The Oklahoma Food Policy
Council outlines steps that may be used to
increase the use of local foods by institu-
tions while working to improve the access of
people, especially school children, to healthy
diets.
Continued on page 16
//BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS PAGE 15
16. Table 4. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Publications, cont’d
Citation Annotation
Campbell, Shawn. 2003. The Oklahoma Addressing a demand for local food in Okla-
Food Connection 2003. Oklahoma Food homa, this directory lists farmers, where they
Policy Council/Kerr Center for Sustainable are located, and what they produce. Consum-
Agriculture. 58 p. ers and public institutions wanting to buy
Poteau, OK locally may wish to contact farmers in their
http://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/ofpc/ area. This publication also lists schools that
foodconnection.htm have expressed interest in buying local pro-
duce.
Table 5. Local Food Security Publications
Citation Annotation
USDA. 2000. Community Food Security Re- This kit is an excellent resource for those work-
source Kit: How to Find Money, Technical As- ing on food system projects, providing infor-
sistance, and Other Help to Fight Hunger and mation about programs and projects (includ-
Strengthen Local Food Systems. USDA. 92 ing many funding sources) across the nation
p. http://www.reeusda.gov/food_security/ that are working on community-centered food
scgc/resoukit.htm security activities.
Tauber, Maya, and Andy Fisher. 2002. A Guide This guide features case studies of seven di-
to Community Food Projects. Community verse and innovative projects funded by
Food Security Coalition. 19 p. USDA’s Community Food Projects grant pro-
http://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.html gram. It also includes basic information about
the CFP program and sources for more infor-
mation.
Fisher, Andy, Kai Siedenburg, Mark Winne, and The guide includes an inventory of California
Jill Zachary. 1999. Getting Food on the Table: programs, policies and functions that provide
An Action Guide to Local Food Policy. Com- opportunities for supporting community food
munity Food Security Coalition. 70 p. Avail- security. The guide also includes case stud-
able from the Community Food Security Coa- ies, advice from experienced food policy ad-
lition. vocates, a resource guide, and federal fund-
http://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.html ing sources.
Bailkey, Martin, and Jerry Kaufman. 2000. This report investigates the nature and
Farming Inside Cities. Community Food Se- characteristics of city farming for market
curity Coalition. 125 p. Available from the Com- sales. It also discusses obstacles to
munity Food Security Coalition. market-based city farming activities and
http://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.html ways of overcoming these obstacles. More
than 120 people served as informants, and
some 70 entrepreneurial urban agriculture
projects in the United States were found for
this study.
Continued on page 17
PAGE 16 //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
17. Table 5. Local Food Security Publications, cont’d
Citation Annotation
Fisher, Andy. 1999. Hot Peppers and Parking This booklet examines farmers’ markets,
Lot Peaches: Evaluating Farmers’ Markets in WIC (Woman, Infant, Child) Farmers Market
Low Income Communities. Community Food Nutrition Programs, case studies, electronic
Security Coalition. 61 p. Available from the benefit transfer, farmstands, policy issues,
Community Food Security Coalition. guidelines for successful markets, and
http://www.foodsecurity.org/executive.html policy recommendations.
Ashman, Linda (ed.) 1993. Seeds of Change: This is perhaps the most thorough documen-
Strategies for Food Security for the Inner City. tation of an urban community’s food system.
Community Food Security Coalition. 400 p. Sections on hunger, nutrition, food industry, su-
Available from the Community Food Security permarket industry, community case study,
Coalition. farmers’ markets, urban agriculture, joint ven-
http://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.html tures, and food policy councils.
Joseph, Hugh (ed.) 1997. Community Food This guidebook details such issues as the
Security: A Guide to Concept, Design, and concept of CFS, community food planning,
Implementation. Community Food Security needs assessments, building collaborations
Coalition. 57 p. Available from the Community and coalitions, project implementation,
Food Security Coalition. entrepreneurship, funding, program
http://www.foodsecurity.org/ sustainability, case studies, and multiple
CFSguidebook1997.PDF attachments.
McDermott, Maura. 2001. Healthy Farms, Excerpts from the “Bringing in the Sheaves”
Food and Communities. Field Notes. Kerr symposium, a meeting focusing on commu-
Center for Sustainable Agriculture. 9 p. nity food systems, economic and ethical im-
http://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/nwsltr/ pacts of food choices, and community sup-
2001/winter/1-9.pdf ported agriculture.
//BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS PAGE 17
18. Table 6. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs
Program name and contact information Comments
National Programs
Community Food Security Coalition The Community Food Security Coalition is
Marion Kalb a non-profit organization dedicated to build-
Farm to School Program Director ing strong, sustainable, local and regional
PO Box 363 food systems that ensure access to afford-
Davis, CA 95617 able, nutritious, and culturally appropriate
530-756-8518, ext. 32 food for all people at all times. CFSC seeks
Fax: 530-756-7857 to develop self-reliance among all commu-
E-mail: marion@ foodsecurity.org nities in obtaining their food, and to create
http://www.foodsecurity.org/ a system of growing, manufacturing, pro-
cessing, distributing, and selling food that
Community Food Security Coalition is regionally based and grounded in jus-
Kristen Markley tice, democracy, and sustainability.
Farm to College Program Manager CFSC has more than 250 member
PO Box 109 organizations. Publications, conferences,
Markley Lane and other activities focus on community
Beaver Springs, PA 17812 food projects including farmers’ markets,
310-822-5410 farm-to-school projects, and community
Fax: 310-822-1440 gardens. CFSC Farm-to-School and Farm-
E-mail: kristen@ foodsecurity.org to-College programs provide information,
http://www.foodsecurity.org/ workshops, and development assistance
farm_to_college.html in the initiation and implementation of these
programs across the country.
National Farm to School Program This partnership of several educational
Mark Wall, Co-Director institutions, the Community Alliance with
Center for Food and Justice Family Farmers, and the Community Food
Occidental College Security Coalition — with the Center for
323-341-5098 Food & Justice as the lead organization —
Fax: 323-258-2917 is creating a database of every school and
E-mail: mwall@oxy.edu college that has a farm-to-school element
http://www.farmtoschool.org/National/ in their educational work. Currently work-
index.htm ing on nine projects funded by the USDA,
the program has helped create school
and projects that buy from local farmers, a Food
Marion Kalb, Co-Director Service Director’s Guide to Farm to School,
Community Food Security Coalition educational seminars, evaluation of exist-
(See above for contact information.) ing projects, and ongoing technical assis-
tance to potential and current projects.
California
Farmers’ Market Salad Bar This began as a project of the Occidental
Tracie Thomas, Coordinator College Center for Food and Justice. The
1651 Sixteenth Street program is also linked to school garden
Santa Monica, CA 90404 programs and educational activities, such
310-450-8338, ext. 324 as farmers’ markets and farm tours, to
Fax: 310-399-2993 promote a holistic view of food.
E-mail: payton@smmusd.org
http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/
resources/farmtoschool01cover.PDF Continued on page 19
PAGE 18 //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
19. Table 6. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs, cont’d
California cont’d
Center for Eco-Literacy The Center for Eco-Literacy coordinated the
Janet Brown Berkeley Food Systems Project and was
2522 San Pablo Avenue instrumental in drafting the Food Policy for
Berkeley, CA the Berkeley Unified School District.
510-845-4945
E-mail: janet@ecoliteracy.org
http://www.ecoliteracy.org/
Davis Joint Unified School District The program began at three elementary
(DJUSD) school sites and has now expanded to
Rafaelita M. Curva seven schools,with an eighth expected to
Director of Student Nutrition Services join in the fall of 2003. The integrated
1919 Fifth Street programs include salad bars (Crunch
Davis, CA 95616 Lunch!), composting/recycling, gardens,
530-757-5385, ext. 119 cooking carts, and farm visits. Food prepa-
Fax: 530-758-3889 ration for the salad bars is centrally done
http://www.djusd.k12.ca.us/District/index.htm from the Davis High School Kitchen and
delivered to the various sites. Start-up costs
and direct labor costs were funded by
grants. Now, grants cover equipment
procurement and outreach/curriculum
connections. All food, supply, and other
direct costs are covered by Student Nutrition
Services. The program purchases roughly
$8000/year of produce from local farmers,
and the main constraint to increasing that
figure is the physical size of the prep area
and time constraints of staff.
Ventura Unified Farm to School Program This program started in 2001 and is now
Marilyn Godfree operating in three schools. Marilyn Godfree
Healthy Projects Coordinator is responsible for the educational and
805-641-5050 outreach components of the program, while
Tammy Nelson Tammy Nelson manages the salad bars,
Salad Bar Coordinator orders food, and works with vendors. The
805-641-5054 salad bar operates twice per week at one
E-mail: mgodfree@vtusd.k12.ca.us school and once per week at the other two,
where it is the only meal choice for that
lunch day. The salad bar lunch reaches
roughly 1,000 children and, combined with
gardening activities, is integrated into the
curriculum. Schools have complete kitch-
ens and use parent volunteers for non-food
preparation activities. Local vendors have
agreed to buy from local farmers “whenever
possible.” Some fruit and other food items
Continued on page 20
//BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS PAGE 19
20. Table 6. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs, cont’d
California cont’d
are bought directly from farmers. Start-up
funds for this project came from a combina-
tion of tobacco settlement money, PTA
funds, and grant monies obtained by a non-
profit. Ms. Godfree notes that kids using the
salad bar throw away much less food
compared to the hot lunch.
Occidental College The Center for Community-Based Learning
Center for Community-Based Learning (CCBL) at Occidental College runs the “Market
323-259-2904 Basket Program” in which students sub-
ccbl@oxy.edu scribe to the program and receive weekly
boxes of produce from the farmers’ market.
Center for Food and Justice The College’s Center for Food and Jus-
Maggie Haase, Director tice is the lead organization for both the
323-341-5096 National Farm to School Program and the
http://www.farmtoschool.org California Farm to School Program.
University of California, Santa Barbara UCSB contracts with a local food service
Bonnie Crouse, Coordinator vendor (The Berry Man), who buys part of
Residential Dining Services, Systems and their produce from local farmers. While
Procurement UCSB is willing to contract directly with
University of California, Santa Barbara local farmers, it has not done so yet. For
1501 Residential Services contracting information, contact the local
Santa Barbara CA 93106 representative for The Berry Man, Les
805-893-3315 Clark, at 805-963-6184.
Fax: 805-893-4766
E-mail: bcrouse@housing.ucsb.edu
http://www.housing.ucsb.edu
Connecticut
Connecticut Department of The DOC may be the single largest buyer of
Corrections food in Connecticut. DOC began buying Con-
Robert Frank necticut-grown in July 2002 and completed the
Director of Nutritional Services first season in November. Twenty farmers
201 West Main Street participated, and the program will continue in
Niantic, CT 06357 2003 and is considered a success. DOC
860-691-6989 would place their weekly order with the US
Fax: 860-691-6874 Food Service USF), which holds the master
h t t p : / / w w w. d o c . s ta t e . c t . u s / o r g / contract with the state for all institutional food
AdmFood.htm purchasing (except U. Conn.). USF would then
place their produce order with M&M Produce.
Whenever available and when the price was
“close,” M&M would buy as much of the fresh
produce as possible from the CT farmers.
“Close” meant the buyers were generally will-
ing to grant CT farmers up to a 5% premium.
Continued on page 21
PAGE 20 //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
21. Table 6. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs, cont’d
Florida
New North Florida Cooperative Program This program is facilitated by the Natural Re-
Glyen Holmes, NRCS/USDA source Conservation Service (NRCS), which
215 Perry Paite Bldg. S. FAMU helped organize a group of North Florida farm-
Tallahassee, FL 32307 ers to supply local schools with fresh produce.
859-599-3546 This project is now operating in 15 school dis-
E-mail: nnfc@digitalexp.com tricts with 300,000 children in three states (FL,
http://www.ams.usda.gov/directmarketing/ SC, and AL). Several publications about this
publications.htm program are available on the NRCS Farmer
Direct Marketing Web page under Farm-to-
School Programs.
Illinois
Illinois Farm-to-School Initiative Generation Green is initiating a process to
Rhonda Williams connect farmers and small farm co-ops with
Generation Green interested school districts through educa-
P.O. Box 7027 tional programs and interactions with food
Evanston, IL 60201 service directors and state policy makers.
312-419-1810 They are participaring in the U.S. Depart-
E-mail: rhonda@generagiongreen.org ment of Agriculture/Department of Defense
http://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/ Commodity Program.
school-food.htm
Township High School District 211 Jonen has been buying produce for the
Ruth Jonen school lunch program from the Schamburg
District 211 Director of Food Services Farmers’ Market for more than 15 years.
Towns of Palatine and Schaumburg in NW Purchases run from August through October
Cook County, IL and serve approximately 2,500 students.
847-755-1600
http://www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/story-
jonen.htm
Iowa
Sunflower Fields Farm and CSA Michael is a member of a growers co-op that
Michael Nash distributes food to schools and other institu-
776 Old Stage Road tions.
Postville, IA 52162
563-864-3847
Fax: 563-864-3837
Practical Farmers of Iowa Primary buyers from PFI are Iowa State Uni-
Rick Hartmann, Food Systems Program Staff versity and Grinnell College. The Institutional
Robert Karp, Gary Huber Buying and Producer Cooperation project of
300 Main St. # 1 the Practical Farmers of Iowa began in 2001
Ames, IA 50010 as a two year in-depth feasibility study of vari-
515-232-5661(phone & Fax) ous approaches for linking Iowa farmers prac-
E-mail: rick@isunet.net ticing sustainable agriculture to hotel, restau-
http://www.pfi.iastate.edu rant, and institutional (HRI) markets.
Continued on page 22
//BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS PAGE 21
22. Table 6. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs, cont’d
Iowa cont’d
University of Northern Iowa Local Food The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agricul-
Project ture provided funding for this project, which
Prof. Kamyar Enshayan and Scott Cooley, works with institutional food buyers (hospitals,
Adjunct Faculty nursing homes, restaurants, and groceries) to
Department of Physics explore ways to purchase a greater portion of
University of Northern Iowa their food from local/regional farmers and food
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0150 processors. In this way, they seek to increase
319-273-7575 or 319-273-6895 investment of food dollars in the local commu-
Fax: 319-273-7136 nity.
E-mail: kamyar.enshayan@uni.edu
http://www.uni.edu/ceee/foodproject
Kansas
Community Mercantile Education Founda- The Community Mercantile Education Foun-
tion dation (CMEF) and area farmers initiated this
Nancy O’Connor, Executive Director program in northeast Kansas to help create
901 Iowa Street understanding and support of regionally and
Lawrence, KS 66044 sustainably grown agricultural products. The
785-843-8544 CMEF is the not-for-profit arm of the Commu-
E-mail: cmef@sunflower.com nity Mercantile Co-op, a natural foods store in
Lawrence.
Maine
Bates College A member of the Maine Organic Farmers
Nelson Pray, Buyer for Dining Services and Growers Association (MOFGA), Bates
56 Campus Avenue, Chase Hall has bought organic produce from local
Lewiston, ME 04240 farmers since 1996. Bates buys turkeys,
207-786-6300 potatoes, and tomatoes from MOFGA. The
Fax: 207-786-6302 college food service also composts
E-mail: npray@bates.edu preconsumer wastes and collects
http://www.bates.edu/dining.xml postconsumer wastes as feed for a local
hog farmer.
Bowdoin College Bowdoin College dining service purchases
Michele Gaillard, Purchasing Manager local foods for several special events
3700 College Station throughout the year, notably a “return to
Brunswick, ME 04011-8428 school” lobsterbake. In the spring of 2001 a
207-725-3000 dining service oversight team was formed to
Fax: 207-725-3974 develop new sustainability programs within
E-mail: mgaillar@bowdoin.edu the department and oversee programs
http://www.bowdoin.edu/dining/information/ already in place. Bowdoin has a pre-con-
environmental.shtml sumer waste composting program and has
also established a refillable mug program.
Continued on page 23
PAGE 22 //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
23. Table 6. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs, cont’d
Massachusetts
Tufts University The Tufts Dining Services Department feels it
Patti Lee Klos is important to source foods locally, which in-
Director of Dining & Business Services cludes produce and locally produced food
89-91 Curtis Street items. During the fall they promote locally
Medford, MA 02155 grown apples, and throughout the year they
617-627-3751 seek first to provide produce, that is grown in
Fax: 617-627-3902 Massachusetts and the New England states.
E-mail: patti.lee@tufts.edu When searching for new suppliers, TDSD first
http://www.tufts.edu/dining/ seeks to support the immediate communities
of Medford and Somerville, and then the greater
Boston area. TDSD recycles corrugated card-
board, tin cans, glass, and plastics. More than
two tons of food waste is diverted from the
waste stream each week during the school
year.
Williams College With the efforts of student organizations,
Robert Volpi, Director, Dining Services CEAC (Campus Environmental Advisory Com-
413-597-2051 mittee), Greensense, and SSJ (Students for
E-mail: Robert.P.Volpi@williams.edu Social Justice), along with Administrators and
http://www.williams.edu/admin/dining/ Dining Services, the Eco-Café, located in the
Science Building atrium, opened on April 1,
2002. The Café features organic fair- trade
coffee, organic teas, and bottled water, all natu-
ral tea breads, cookies, and biscotti from local
bakeries.
St John’s University St. John’s University is a Benedictine Univer-
Dave Schoenberg sity and has an overall philosophy of good
Executive Director of Dining and Events stewardship, not only in food purchasing. St.
PO Box 2000 John’s does not have targets for local food
Collegeville, MN 56321 purchases, but purchases local honey, maple
320-363-3490 syrup, apples, and some flour, in addition to
Fax: 320-363-2658 running a community garden from which they
E-mail: dschoenberg@csbsju.edu purchase some of the extra food available. St.
John’s also purchases some cheese products
from a local (within state) cooperative.
Minnesota
Saint Olaf College St. Olaf College had a three year program
Gene Bakko about 10 years ago (1989-1991, funded by the
Professor of Biology McKnight Foundation). Carlton College also
Biology Dept. participated (five students at each college).
St. Olaf College The students examined the orgins of campus-
1520 St. Olaf Avenue served food, which in turn spawned an effort
Northfield, MN 55057-1098 by the dining services to procure local food.
507-646-3399
Fax: 507-646-3968
E-mail: bakko@stolaf.edu Continued on page 24
//BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS PAGE 23
24. Table 6. Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs, cont’d
Minnesota cont’d
Local growers supply apples to campus, but all
other produce purchase efforts eventually fell
through because local growers are small and
could not, or were not willing to, plant for the
College market. In 2002, St. John’s did a week
long “buy local” educational campaign, expos-
ing students to local foods and transporting them
to local farms.
New Mexico
Cooking with Kids Cooking with Kids is a multicultural food educa-
Lynn Walters tion program that works to improve children’s
Program Coordinator nutrition by involving public school students in
3508 Camino Jalisco hands-on learning about culturally diverse foods
Santa Fe, NM 87505 that are healthy and appealing. Cooking with
505-473-4703 Kids’ activities use an integrated curriculum for-
Fax: 505-473-4703 mat that provides opportunities for interdiscipli-
E-mail: lwalters@unm.edu nary learning, including math, science, social
studies, language arts, music, and art. Cook-
ing with Kids models healthy food choices in
elementary school classrooms and school din-
ing rooms.
New York
From Farm to School: Improving Small New York is a partner in a new multi-state
Farm Viability and School Meals project funded by the USDA Initiative for
Jennifer Wilkins, Program Director Future Agriculture and Food Systems
Division of Nutritional Sciences (IFAFS). The New York portion of this project,
305 MVR Hall From Farm to School: Improving Small Farm
Cornell University Viability and School Meals, will follow the
Ithaca, NY 14853-4401 development of farm-to-school connections in
607-255-2730 four pilot school districts in different regions of
Fax: 607-255-0178 the state.
E-mail: jlw15@cornell.edu
<http://www.cals.cornell.edu/
agfoodcommunity/
afs_temp3.cfm?topicID=81>
Cornell University Dining Services The Cornell University Dining Service pur-
Coleen Wright-Riva chases one-third of its food from New York
Acting Director farmers, processors, and vendors, and has
Dining Office implemented farm-to-school educational
233 Day Hall programs about the importance of using local
Ithaca, NY 14853-6006 foods. They also work with students, faculty,
607-255-5952 and staff to offer ethnic and multi-cultural
E-mail: dining@cornell.edu
Continued on page 25
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