Imagine seeing fresh, locally grown food. Real food. Food that wasn't simply mixed with water or taken out of a can before serving. No more powdered eggs or grade D chicken. For some schools this is more than just a dream. And for all, it is possible.
Over recent years, America has come closer and closer to a healthy lifestyle, or at least we are more concerned with what we’re eating. As a result, grocery stores and restaurants have started to feed into our demand.
It truly has been a pendulum. First, as an early civilization, we grew our own food; everything we ate was natural. Of course as we expanded and industrialization kicked in – stretching out our resources and expectations – we began eating mass-produced, fast food to meet our needs.
We started eating food from other parts of the country and at times when it wasn’t naturally possible for them to be grown. By sheer lack of access, we became detached and unaware of where our food was coming from and what actually went into producing it. Grocery shopping became like detective work.
In Italy, 1989, the Slow Food Movement tried to bring it all back – working in opposition to fast food and fast living. Seeking food that was fresh, local, in season, and fair trade for farmers, it promoted sustainability and, above all, authentic tasting food.
And the world has caught on. But what about colleges?
I have to say I’m lucky to be going to Ithaca College where there are vegetarian, vegan, and kosher options. And there are no fast food chains. But this isn’t enough.
I’ve come to learn that while there is access to local food in our town, we are somehow bound by Sodexo, a major food supplier with recourses coming from Mexico and other parts of the world. And yet, Cornell University (at the other end of town) provides a certain percentage of food from local farmers. This is not a feat of impossible strength; it just takes a little concern and applied research.
Such was the case for Yale University where the head chef was in for an overhaul. Without prior knowledge or interest in slow food, Chef John Turenne suddenly had to commit to a more local, seasonal meal plan for the school’s dining services. What started as mandatory research turned into a complete epiphany.
“I realized that this is the way of the future. This is how food needs to be. And everything I was taught before just wasn’t right,” says Turenne, who now works as a food consultant for other universities, school districts, and hospitals. Founding Sustainable Food Systems has allowed him to share his 25 years of experience.
Given the facility’s location, resources and financial capabilities, he can lay out a custom plan for achieving the goals of slow food – even down to training staff and implementing a seasonal menu.
“It’s an exciting time for food on college campuses,” states Princeton University Senior and Real Food Challenge participant Kathryn Andersen. Andersen grew up with food values at home, spent time in Italy with the Slow Food Movement, started a campus farmer’s market, and helped organize a slow food chapter at Princeton.
The main goal of the Real Food Challenge – a student-run non-profit organization – is to spread awareness through school chapters and campus activities, such as a bread-making workshop with a local bread shop. “This is how we turn interest into excitement, which is key for this movement to grow,” explains Andersen.
Chapters can then contact Slow Food on Campus, a division of Slow Food USA, for farms in their area or other inquiries. According to Slow Food on Campus Coordinator, Cecily Upton, “all these organizations really work together, networking with contacts and supporters to achieve the same goal.”
And it can be seen all over the country. While it may seem to be taking hold more prominently in the east and west coasts, this isn’t a true measurement. The media are always ahead in these areas.
“The Midwest is really where the majority of food is being produced, so our focus needs to be here. Just because an area is more agricultural, that doesn’t mean they’re more knowledgeable on the subject of slow food,” explains Upton.
Through and through, she is optimistic. Our interest is growing exponentially and students are taking the initiative.
And it really starts with student interest. If there is a demand for better food on campus, the school administration is going to respond. The thing to understand is that different schools are under different contracts. If a school has a self-contained system in place, it will be a lot easier to make the shift than if it has a binding contract with a food service provider (as is the case for Ithaca College). And then there is a middle ground, explains Upton.
Lucky for Chatham University, their service provider, Parkhurst, has made the change for them. V.P. of University Communications at Chatham University, Paul A. Kovach explains, “ultimately, it was a decision that Parkhurst Dining Services made and the Chatham community embraced. They have introduced FarmSource, which provides food from local farms to promote sustainability and support the local economy.”
The increase in cost seems to be a common concern, “but food prepared from scratch is usually more cost effective than pre-processed foods,” says Kovach. “It is also worth the flavor and student satisfaction.”
For those schools that are self-contained, it can be a time-consuming and costly task searching for the right food. Fortunately there are companies springing up to make the world of real food a little clearer and accessible.
Growers Collaborative, for instance, services schools, hospitals, and corporate offices in divisions of California. Regional Manager of the Sacramento Valley/Bay Area, Dave Levin explains that, “it works as a transparent middleman letting the farmers represent themselves, which inevitably weeds out non-organic producers who would rather distribute as a generic, unidentified brand.”
Look at it like a digital farmer’s market. Simply sign-up, and go to market. Schools can find out what produce and grains are available to them during the different seasons and what farms would work best for them. And to guarantee freshness, the company limits distribution to about 125 miles (or 48 hours) from farm to plate.
“At NYU, there’s definitely concern about supply of local food during the winter months…maybe, allow distant suppliers for the difficult months, but this sounds complicated to food service providers,” explains New York University student and Real Food New York co-founder, Annie Myers.
“There's also the problem of food service providers (like ours, Aramark) requiring their producers to have a certain level of insurance that small farmers never have. Frankly, I feel NYU will make little real progress until our contract with Aramark expires,” Myers says.
But it’s not a lost cause. It just takes a little concern, applied research, and above all, excitement, because ridding your dining hall of powdered eggs is worth it. Myers -- like many others in the field -- is optimistic, and has no reason to be otherwise. The nutritional pendulum is swinging college bound.
Her advice? “Join the Real Food Challenge! It’s really important to find out what's going on in the community around your school in terms of community gardens and local farmers markets or other organizations. Students and community members need to work together when it comes to increasing access to the local, organic foods they all deserve.”
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