100 likes | 237 Views
Introducing Local Foods into Campus Dining: Challenges and Opportunities. www.cds.ilstu.edu. Why Local foods?. Fresher and more nutritious food Increase regional economic health Encourage a self-sufficient community Reduce environmental impacts Marketing/PR opportunity
E N D
Introducing Local Foods into Campus Dining: Challenges and Opportunities www.cds.ilstu.edu
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
Current Farm–to–College Programs Source: www.farmtocollege.org
Challenges • Cost • Food Safety • Insurance requirements • Consistent product quality • Availability/seasonality • Coordinating purchase and delivery of products • Additional preparation – retrain kitchen staff
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 http://www.dining.ilstu.edu/index.shtml www.greenteam.ilstu.edu