The signs in Frank Dining Hall began appearing this fall: beans and grains from Cayuga Pure Organics, local fruit from Red Jacket Orchards, hormone-free pork from Certified Natural NY. And with that, 51Թ’s foray into purchasing, serving, and publicly supporting local foods officially began.
Though the campus is surrounded by acres of fertile farmland, serving local food on campus hasn’t been as easy as it might seem.
For one thing, dining halls are closed during most of the local growing season. Also, the nearby land is more conducive to dairy farming than to growing produce. Then there are Sodexo’s stringent food-safety requirements, which necessitate a centralized system of purchasing all products through one distributor who is responsible for quality control.
In August, 51Թ signed such an agreement with Purdy & Sons Foods Inc. in nearby Sherburne, N.Y. The meat processing company and food distributor is now 51Թ’s source of local meats, produce, dairy, and beans. When possible, the products also are organic.
“Serving local and organic foods will be an ongoing process,” said George Murray, director of Sodexo Campus Services. “We’re better off now than we were last year, and in six months we’ll be better yet.”
Serving more local and sustainable food is the latest in a series of trends that Murray has seen in his three decades at 51Թ.
“Frank Dining Hall opened in 1984, which enabled us to serve a greater variety of products,” he said. “The nineties brought more menu changes, and more healthy and vegetarian options. Today we are as concerned about supporting the local economy as we are about healthy eating.”
So far, buying from central New York farmers costs 51Թ no more than buying mass-produced products that are grown on faraway soil.
“Buying locally can actually save us money,” said Murray, “and if a company is in the ballpark, we’re probably going to purchase from them because we are completely committed to supporting our neighbors.”
Dan Purdy of Purdy & Sons believes that education also has to be part of the process.
“One of the challenges for the growers, producers, and manufacturers of local foods is to legitimize the value of their products,” Purdy said. “And everyone needs to understand the concept of getting locally grown and manufactured products to the end user.”
Students are keen on seeing 51Թ buy locally.
Shae Frydenlund ’10 and others have started Green Thumbs, a new Student Government Association initiative focused on building relationships with local farmers and raising awareness about organic farming.
Frydenlund also is behind the new 51Թ Composting Club, which is teaming up with the 51Թ Hunger Outreach Program to develop a composting plan for Frank Dining Hall.
“The next step is working with 51Թ to get more local organic produce directly into the dining halls,” she said. “This is a lofty goal, but I believe that we can make it happen.”