Moving More Fresh Food to Schools & Food Shelves

Bertrand Weber, Minneapolis Public Schools

Rob Zeaske,Second Harvest Heartland

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“How innovation is changing the mix of food these school district and food bank systems distribute…and implications ahead for local sites we serve.”

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Workshop Agenda: More Change = More Fresh

1. High level changes to our food systems2. Learnings from “the field”3. Future implications for sites4. How do we work together?5. Discussion/Q & A

District Enrollment as of October 3, 201235,261 Students65.8% of students qualify for Free or Reduced price meals

Free 21,277 60.3%Reduced 1,916 5.4%

12,068 or 34.2 % of students are in the full paid category

MPS at a Glance62 schools with a combined enrollment of 34,277 studentsThe District currently serves a daily average of about 12,000 breakfasts, 24,000 lunches, and 4,500 snacks, a total of 7.15 million meals a year

• 36% African American,• 33% White/Caucasian, • 19% Hispanic/Latino, • 8% Asian American, • 4% American Indian

High Leve l Changes to Our Food Systems

• 1966 Only 6 elementary schools have a lunch program

• 1970 School Board vote to expand lunch program to all 68 elementary school

• 1973 School Board approves fund to build central kitchen

• 1974 Ground broken for Nutrition Center

• 1975 Nutrition Center opens assembling 11,000 meals on the first day.

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A Tale of Two Ci t ies2011 Minneapolis St. Paul

Enrollment 34,332 37,780

Free & Reduce 66% 71%

Participation 62% 78%

Revenue $14.6 M $20.7M

Revenue per Pupil $42.53 $54.80

High Leve l Changes to Our Food Systems

I t ’s a Mat ter o f Nat iona l Secur i ty

• President Harry S. Truman began the national school lunch program in 1946 as a measure of national security. He did so after reading a study that revealed many young men had been rejected from the World War II draft due to medical conditions caused by childhood malnutrition.

• In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson extended the program by offering breakfast to school children.

• In 1968, a summer meals program was offered to low income children.

The Challenges

• The nutrition center produces prepackaged processed lunches and breakfasts that are re-thermalized at each school site

• No cooking facility

Nutrition Center

Refrigeration

Elementary & K-8 Schools• 49 Sites• 4 Kitchens

Secondary Schools• 12 Sites • No Serving

Lines

Our Solution

40% of low income children are overweight because of a lack of healthy, available food and malfunctioning metabolisms because of starvation.

Adult diseases related to childhood eating habits and poor nutrition cost the health care system $5,000 per year or $175,000 per person in a lifetime

In America we spend approximately $6,000 feeding a child during the entire tenure of their K-12 education.

Rationale

Most Children Can Recognize over 1,700 Products, But Do Not Know What’s Grown and Produced Locally

Rationale

The ObjectiveTo improve school food, teach nutrition, support sustainable food systems, and create an education program focused on understanding the relationships between food, culture, health, and the environment

To offer nutritious, appealing school meals and effective education about nutrition so that students can achieve their full academic potential and learn to make healthful choices

• Acknowledge Current Program Strength and Weakness

• Define Goals and Objectives

• Engage Community Partners and The District

• Identified Current and Future Obstacles

First Basic Steps

Pre-Pack Satellites Cooking Kitchens

Culinary and Nutrition Center

Why Fresh local food?• Freshest products• Peak flavor• Support local food

economy• Reconnect students to

their source of food• Build support for

program

Init ial PlanMarket Cart Salad Bars• Introduce Market Cart Salad Bars to a limited numbers of identified schools

strategically located within the district

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• New Director• New Vision• Team of Staff• Farmer Fair• Farm to School

Coordinator

Pre-Pack Satellites Cooking Kitchens

Changes• Redesigned menus• Salad bars• Local meat – turkey, beef• Local products – Holy Land hummus,

Birchwood Café Bean Salad• Local fresh produce RFI• Use cosmetically-imperfect seconds –

Organic butternut squash• Frozen local produce pilot• Educational partnerships• Community engagement • Special promotions• Taste tests reaching 8,000 students last

year with over 40,000 samples

2013-2014 Local Fresh Products Need

Apples 260,000 ea Melons 20,000 lbs Water Melons 16,000 lbs Potatoes 10,000 lbs Onions 36,000 lbs Summer Squash 2,500 lbs Carrots 32,000 lbs Cucumbers 6,000 lbs Tomatoes 3,500 lbs Grape Tomatoes 1,200 lbs

Green Beans Sept 1,500 lbsGreen Beans 1,500 lbs Sweet Corn 10,000 eaWinter Squash 5,000 lbsYams / Sweet Potatoes 5,000 lbsPumpkins 5,000 lbsParsnip 1,000 lbsTurnip 1,000 lbsPeppers 2,000 lbsCabbage 2,500 lbsBeets 3,000 lbs

Impact

• Tasty, appealing food that kids love

• Increased visibility and good will

• Support from local food community

• More partnership opportunities

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High Level Changes to Our Food Systems

Second Harvest Heartland Our Food Banking History

Recycling “what’s left” from food manufactures Reliance on certain types of food donors Supplemental food supply Efficient delivery

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High Level Changes to Our Food Systems

Second Harvest Heartland Rationale for Change—Market Forces

Increasing efficiency of food manufacturers mean less waste/donations to us while economic conditions have been driving up need for MORE food

Simultaneous increased societal interest in “fresh and nutritious”: locavore movement, farmers markets, food pharmacies, fighting obesity, etc. There are big “reservoirs” of untapped agricultural surplus to be accessed—right out of the ground

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High Level Changes to Our Food Systems

Second Harvest Heartland – available food sources will continue to change

Donated food from manufacturers, growers, and distributors, 37.24%

Government programs, 18.49%

Purchased for resale. 17.39%

Retail food rescue, 25.67% Channel

Produce

Purchasing

Retail

Manufacturer

Federal Govm’t

+10%+17%+18%(3%)

+16%

‘06-’11

+17%+3%+12%(3%)

(4%)

‘10-’15

Produce from agricultural surplus is projected to be the biggest driver of growth of emergency food nationally

6 billion pounds of unharvested produce available nationally

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High Level Changes to Our Food Systems

210 million pounds of potatoes, sweet corn and peas go unharvested in Minnesota each year

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High Level Changes to Our Food Systems

Second Harvest Heartland Our Response—finding new and fresher food sources to

augment and add to declining traditional sources Capturing agricultural surplus on an increasingly larger scale

The “great 2012 corn rescue” Other ag surplus: potatoes, carrots, onions, cucumbers, squash, etc.

Food Rescue Has become our fastest growing food source 300+ retail grocery and convenient stores provide fresh food

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High Level Changes to Our Food Systems

Second Harvest Heartland Impact to date

600,000 pounds of sweet corn to Minnesota food banks and beyond (Summer, 2012)

2.3 total pounds of produce captured in 2011from growers 4.4 million pounds of produce captured in 2012 from growers 24 million pounds of food rescued from 300+ retail grocery

stores and convenience stores Food Rescue grew 522% between 2009 and 2012

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Learnings From the Fie ld:

W h a t H a v e S c h o o l s a n d F o o d S h e l v e s E x p e r i e n c e d Wi t h T h e s e S y s t e m s C h a n g e s ?

• M i n n e a p o l i s P u b l i c S c h o o l s– Consumption of fresh vegetables increased by 21.23% when

served on the salad bar vs. in prepack and canned fruit decreased by 12.3% when served on the salad bar vs. in prepack

– Based on participation, the average cost for fresh fruit is $0.30 higher per portion at prepack sites vs. salad bar sites ($0.46 per portion vs. $0.16 portion) and vegetables is $0.03 higher per portion at prepack sites vs. salad bar sites ($0.06 per portion vs. $0.03 per portion)

– Changes in procurement practices and delivery to accommodate for lack of refrigeration.

– Changes in skills with need for culinary training and HCAP training needed

Learnings From the Fie ld:

F e e d b a c k f r o m t h e c o m m u n i t y– THANK YOU for making such healthful changes in the MPS food service. I'm really

happy to see additions like salad bars with fresh produce and grain and legume salads, as well as compostable serving ware. Keep up the good work! Have a great school

– Hello, I am a mother of two elementary age children, who are vegetarian. I want to say how grateful I am that my kids are enrolled in Mpls public schools at this time when we are revitalizing the menu with whole and fresh foods

– Just wanted to let you know that the mango slices were a huge hit. I didn't order much because I was unsure of how the kids would take to them well they were all gone at the end of service and the kids told me they really liked them.

– My son is a 10th grader at South Open. He is crazy about the new lunches! He says they are SO GOOD!! He loves the fresh salad bar and exciting meals from the Mill City Cafe. Thank you for these changes!

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Learnings From the Field: What Have Schools and Food Shelves Experienced With These Systems Changes?

Second Harvest Heartland Agency partners vary widely in their local food ordering preferences and

desire and capacity for “fresh”

It can be difficult to receive so much fresh produce at once (Minnesota harvest season) and less the rest of the year; SHH is interested in relationships with other food banks who have different harvest seasons

Produce is delivered very quickly but occasionally there are quality issues; SHH packing and shipping processes are being constantly tweaked for better results

Fresh food can be costlier to store and handle locally—some agencies don’t have the resources to access

We provide an average of 70% of the food needed at our agency partners/programs—they also supplement by sourcing other “very local” fresh food/produce

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Learnings From the Field: What Have Schools and Food Shelves Experienced With These Systems Changes?

Second Harvest Heartland: feedback from our agency partners

“I have been so excited to see fresh corn and green beans on the (ordering)blog! ” “The quality produce that we receive enables us to help people and give them

dignity.” “One lady who stopped and took a box of food confided in me how little food she

had at home and how much help this was, especially the fact that it was fresh and healthy food.  I think most people would use produce given the opportunity, but it is just too expensive for some to be able to purchase.”

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Learnings From the Field: What Have Schools and Food Shelves Experienced With These Systems Changes?

Second Harvest Heartland: feedback from our agency partners

“Fresh produce is a culture change for volunteers. Success depends on their buy-in. Also, recipes are important to help clients engage with fresh produce. “

“Fresh produce is more work for meal programs, although from a health perspective, fresh is considered better. Changing menus and providing adequate staffing is the challenge. “

“Seniors love produce, but are limited in how much they can take, both because they are single households and have limited storage. “

“The quality of the produce has varied. “ “We have received a different quantity every week. Sometimes

it’s hard to handle the volume.”

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Future Impl icat ions

• S c h o o l s– Infrastructure

• Capital Investment – Refrigeration, Salad Bars, processing equipment.

– Operations• Central processing facility at Culinary Center.• Increase aggregation of local products.• Season extension freezing process.

– Training• Increase need of culinary training• GAP certification of local farms and farming organization

– Procurement• Increase use of seconds• Farm partnership

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Future Implications Second Harvest Heartland and Agency Partners

Tactical And Operational Capital Investment – continued investment in freezers and coolers

Operations – changing our models and work to use new food

Food quality – continue to address freshness to avoid waste Delivery frequency – more deliveries of fresh food, smaller quantities? Hours of operation – short shelf life of perishable food might require different

hours to turn food quickly and safely…open more often? Food Safety – sorting and handling perishable product is a higher bar Variety – at food bank and food shelf level, explore new sources

“Orchestration” and deeper collaboration – sharing partners and more tightly coordinating partnerships (e.g., local grocery store pick-ups) is challenging

Costs – it may not just be “more food,” it may also be more expensive

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Future Implications Second Harvest Heartland and Agency Partners

Conceptual Is our system moving from “recylcers” to “hunger relievers”?

What’s “left over” may not be enough in our new normal.

Is providing food enough? Some agency partners support nutrition education, food preparation classes or other tools to support clients’ nutritious choices.

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Future Implications Second Harvest Heartland and Agency Partners

Food Shelves and Meal Programs are already innovating to increase fresh and respond to market changes

“We started getting clients involved in our own plots at the city VEGTABLE GARDEN PLOTS.  Clients are responsible for weeding, watering, and all vegetables go to the our food shelf for everyone to take.”  

“We are …doing a canning training night and doing SALSA'S, PICKLING, etc. in August.   We just posted a cooking class using these items and using items from the food shelf like rice, beans and other items. “

“We will be getting a lot of stuff from local farmers and every Wed night in town they have Farmers Market from 4 to 7; we get left overs donated for our clients.”

  “I have been asked ‘What can I do to help with hunger in our community? I

can’t afford to donate money or canned goods.  Can I give garden produce?’  The answer is absolutely YES!  It doesn’t have to be a bushel; it can be a single head of lettuce or a few extra carrots. ”

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Future Implications Second Harvest Heartland and Agency Partners

Food Shelves and Food Programs are already innovating to increase fresh and respond to market changes

“We're procuring and distributing fresh produce in the following ways:Partner with local farmers & fruit tree growers; invite clients to join in gleaning excess Operate a community garden and invite clients to manage and harvestFood shelf client choice shopping”  “We moved the location of the fresh produce to the beginning of the client’s

shopping experience. This way, they can take their time choosing their selections and not feel rushed by anyone in line behind them. “

“We have taken more time in how we display produce, to make it look more appealing.  We sort and spread out the contents as much as possible, so clients don't have to "dig through" the box causing more bruising to fragile items.”

“In the coolers, we have invested more time in how the donated refrigerated food is organized, so that the variety of foods are more visible at a quick glance and not hidden behind taller.”

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How Can We Work Together?

Hunger Relief School Nutrition

• Backpack programs• MSP food truck• Promote school breakfast• Link to public programs (SNAP,

SFSP)• Promote better nutrition to local

school boards = better learning outcomes

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Audience Discussion Turn to person on your left or join a small group

Take 10 minutes to discuss the following: What implications in this presentation

imply the biggest change in your work? What are two things your organization

might do to address these changes to move more fresh food through the

system?

Come back for full discussion

Q&A with speakers