local food at luther college

Local Foods at Luther College

Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative Fall Conference, October 2010

Presenters:

Teresa Wiemerslage, ISU ExtensionJon Jensen, Luther CollegeWayne Tudor, SodexoJohnice Cross, Coordinator, GROWN LocallyRyan Jepsen, Grass Run Farm

Luther’s Commitment to

Local FoodJon JensenDirector of Environmental Studies

Decision to use Sodexo

• June 2009• Impact on local producers• Producer meetings• wayne.tudor@sodexo.com

Grass Run Farm’s Story

Ryan Jepsenwww.grassrunfarm.com

GROWN Locally’sStory

Johnice Cross, Coordinatorwww.grownlocally.com

GROWN Locally's Story

Aggregate product from 17 farmsInitial assessment with EcoSureImprovement Needed

Pest ControlApproved ceilingTruck

Transfer Facility at Fairfield Farm

Documentation

Best Practices & Recommendations

Work with other growers to spread risk and costLiability InsuranceAnnual audit costsDistribution efficienciesProduct volume

Develop a Farm Safety PlanWork with payment terms. 30-60 days is too long.Remember the system we are working inFocus on your priorities and keep your vision up frontOpen Discussion

Challenges for Sodexo

Local food costs moreProvides budget challenges for sustainability goalsScaling up supply takes timeChanged cooking methods to accommodate local food

No canned fruits/vegetables10% frozenWill source fresh foods from distributor in off seasonChicken fried steakMake own marinara and pizza sauce

Requires more labor and more training

Impact of Approval for ProducersIncreased sales to Luther CollegeLuther reports 20% local food purchases in Sept 2010Increased number of broker producersLooking for more egg producers Increased calls from other Sodexo accountsIncreased calls from purveyors and produce housesLooking at distribution efficiencies

Since then:  Most GROWN Locally growers have become USDA GAP certified.They have implemented an internal audit system.

Questions?