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Introducing Local Foods Introducing Local Foods into Campus Dining: into Campus Dining:
Challenges and Challenges and OpportunitiesOpportunities
Why Local foods?
• Fresher and more nutritious food Increase regional economic health Encourage a self-sufficient community• Reduce environmental impacts• Marketing/PR opportunity• Educational opportunities.
– Make ISU a leader among state Universities in Illinois.
Farm to College programs
• Nationwide – 135 programs– Majority are private schools– Most public schools with programs required
external funding to start
• Currently only 2 in Illinois (Northwestern and Wheaton College) – both private schools with food service management companies
Challenges
• Cost• Food Safety• Insurance requirements• Consistent product quality• Availability/seasonality• Coordinating purchase and delivery of
products• Additional preparation – retrain kitchen staff
Cost
Item Current prices Local Farm prices
Broccoli $1.71/head $2 - $2.50/head
Head Lettuce $0.75/head $2/head
Green Beans $1/# $3/lb
Carrots $0.26/# $2/lb
Cucumbers $0.63/# $2/lb
Salad mix $2.66/# $8/lb
Opportunities
• Education – creating more conscious consumers
• Research• Documentation• Establish a model – pilot• Desire to do our part
Why a Pilot at ISU?• Centralized location• Size…not too big, not too small• In house dining services• Institutional support• Academic support
– Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development
– Department of Family and Consumer Sciences– COB –focus on small businesses/entreprenuership– Agribusiness program
What Would it Involve?
• Inventory of food availability in the state (dates, farm locations, types)
• Cost analysis of products• Establishment of a system to coordinate
purchases and deliveries– Cooperative or some other model similar to current
mechanisms of purchasing
• Creation of a model that other state universities could replicate
Thank You
www.greenteam.ilstu.edu
http://www.dining.ilstu.edu/index.shtml