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BRINGING LOCAL FOOD
                                                        TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
                                                        A RESOURCE GUIDE FOR FARM-TO-SCHOOL
                                                          AND FARM-TO-INSTITUTION PROGRAMS

 National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service                   RESOURCE SERIES
           www.attra.ncat.org
B yBarbara C. Bellows, Rex Dufour,
and Janet Bachmann
NCAT Agriculture Specialists
October 2003
Copyright©2003 NCAT


              INTRODUCTION
    Small-scale farmers are often unable to sell
their produce and processed meats directly to
local markets such as grocery stores, schools,
hospitals, prisons, and other institutional din-
ing facilities. Food production and process-
ing are very centralized in America, with most
of our food grown and distributed by large-
scale or corporate farms—some located in
other nations.
                       Table of Contents
                                                                   The Farm-to-School salad bar at Malcolm X Middle School in
                                                                   Berkeley, CA, proves that the fresh taste of locally-purchased
    Introduction .............................................1
                                                                   foods appeals to kids of all ages.
    Benefits and Constraints of
    Farm-to-School                                                       Consumers overall are disconnected from one
    or Institution Programs ............................2            of the most important components for their own
    Program Coordination .............................2              health and happiness—the food they eat. Rarely
    Table 1. Funding and Assistance                                  do they have contact with or personal knowledge
    Programs ..................................................5     about the farms and farmers who grow their food.
    Program Implementation Steps ...............7
                                                                     As a result, most consumers have very limited
    Table 2. 2002 Farm Bill Provisions
    that Impact on Development of                                    control over the quality and safety of their food.
    Farm-to-School Programs ........................8                    When small-scale farmers are able to sell their
    Table 3. United States Department of                             products to local stores and institutions, they gain
    Agriculture Programs ..............................9             new and reliable markets, consumers gain access
    Successful Programs ................................9            to what is often higher-quality, more healthful
    Acknowledgements ............................... 11              food, and more food dollars are invested in the
    References .............................................. 11     local economy.
    Table 4. Farm-to-School and                                          This publication provides farmers, school
    Farm-to-Institution Publications ........... 13
                                                                     administrators, and institutional food-service
    Table 5. Local Food Security
    Publications ........................................... 16      planners with contact information and descrip-
    Table 6. Farm-to-School and                                      tions of existing programs that have made these
    Farm-to-Institution Programs ................ 18                 connections between local farmers and


 ATTRA is the national sustainable agriculture information service operated by the National Center
 for Appropriate Technology, through a grant from the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, U.S.
 Department of Agriculture. These organizations do not recommend or endorse products, companies,
 or individuals. NCAT has offices in Fayetteville, Arkansas (P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702),
 Butte, Montana, and Davis, California.
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
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
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
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
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
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
✦ 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
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
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
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
By Barbara C. Bellows, Rex Dufour, and
Janet Bachmann
NCAT Agriculture Specialists

Photographs by Rex Dufour.

October 2003
©NCAT 2003




 The electronic version of Bringing Local
 Food to Local Institutions is located at:
 HTML
 http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/farmtoschool.html
 PDF
 http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/
 farmtoschool.pdf
IP242
Slot #244




PAGE 12                                              //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD   TO   LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

PAGE 24                                      //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD       TO   LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
Bringing Local Food to Local Institutions
Bringing Local Food to Local Institutions
Bringing Local Food to Local Institutions
Bringing Local Food to Local Institutions

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Bringing Local Food to Local Institutions

  • 1. BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS A RESOURCE GUIDE FOR FARM-TO-SCHOOL AND FARM-TO-INSTITUTION PROGRAMS National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service RESOURCE SERIES www.attra.ncat.org B yBarbara C. Bellows, Rex Dufour, and Janet Bachmann NCAT Agriculture Specialists October 2003 Copyright©2003 NCAT INTRODUCTION Small-scale farmers are often unable to sell their produce and processed meats directly to local markets such as grocery stores, schools, hospitals, prisons, and other institutional din- ing facilities. Food production and process- ing are very centralized in America, with most of our food grown and distributed by large- scale or corporate farms—some located in other nations. Table of Contents The Farm-to-School salad bar at Malcolm X Middle School in Berkeley, CA, proves that the fresh taste of locally-purchased Introduction .............................................1 foods appeals to kids of all ages. Benefits and Constraints of Farm-to-School Consumers overall are disconnected from one or Institution Programs ............................2 of the most important components for their own Program Coordination .............................2 health and happiness—the food they eat. Rarely Table 1. Funding and Assistance do they have contact with or personal knowledge Programs ..................................................5 about the farms and farmers who grow their food. Program Implementation Steps ...............7 As a result, most consumers have very limited Table 2. 2002 Farm Bill Provisions that Impact on Development of control over the quality and safety of their food. Farm-to-School Programs ........................8 When small-scale farmers are able to sell their Table 3. United States Department of products to local stores and institutions, they gain Agriculture Programs ..............................9 new and reliable markets, consumers gain access Successful Programs ................................9 to what is often higher-quality, more healthful Acknowledgements ............................... 11 food, and more food dollars are invested in the References .............................................. 11 local economy. Table 4. Farm-to-School and This publication provides farmers, school Farm-to-Institution Publications ........... 13 administrators, and institutional food-service Table 5. Local Food Security Publications ........................................... 16 planners with contact information and descrip- Table 6. Farm-to-School and tions of existing programs that have made these Farm-to-Institution Programs ................ 18 connections between local farmers and ATTRA is the national sustainable agriculture information service operated by the National Center for Appropriate Technology, through a grant from the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. These organizations do not recommend or endorse products, companies, or individuals. NCAT has offices in Fayetteville, Arkansas (P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702), Butte, Montana, and Davis, California.
  • 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
  • 12. By Barbara C. Bellows, Rex Dufour, and Janet Bachmann NCAT Agriculture Specialists Photographs by Rex Dufour. October 2003 ©NCAT 2003 The electronic version of Bringing Local Food to Local Institutions is located at: HTML http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/farmtoschool.html PDF http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/ farmtoschool.pdf IP242 Slot #244 PAGE 12 //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS
  • 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 PAGE 24 //BRINGING LOCAL FOOD TO LOCAL INSTITUTIONS