Point of origin stories bring food authenticity to campus dining

Not all ingredients are created equally, and increasingly, students want to know more about how their food reaches their plates. In fact, a recent study entitled “Regulation Nation” reported that 72 percent of millennials think they should take the initiative to learn more about their food.

Across the country, campus dining programs are helping students gain knowledge about where their food comes from. For starters, local and sustainable sourcing initiatives are now a focus for many campus foodservice directors, and these programs allow students to learn as they eat.

For example, approximately 23 percent of the produce served at Cornell Dining is sourced regionally or locally, and the campus hosts local fairs to bring farmers and artisans on site. In the same way, Western Michigan University Dining Services serves hundreds of products grown or processed in the Great Lakes and identifies these ingredients with a “locally sourced” logo in its dining halls.

At University California Davis, more than 21 percent of food purchases for the 1.8 million meals it serves are from local, organic or sustainable sources. Dining halls boast signs that read like the shelves of Whole Foods, with labels such as “food alliance certified,” “humane certified,” and “fair trade” showing front-and-center.

Food and philosophy

The consumer desire to know food origins can stem from religion, belief systems or health and diet, all of which represent the diversity of modern campus life. At the University of Michigan, director of dining Steve Mangan and his staff tag vegan, vegetarian, spicy, gluten free, halal, kosher and MHealthy (part of the school’s better health initiative) as a part of dining services.

In the same way, Judith Gipper, director of dining services at Western Michigan University, explains that college students are open to exploring lots of food, including ingredients from around the globe, so food education and labeling often takes a global view.

“If we have a ‘Taste of Italy’ dinner, I educate students on what ingredients are authentic to certain regions of the country,” says Gipper.

Additionally, one of Gipper’s most ambitious lessons in food sourcing has been to create and brand a student-run bakery on campus. Named for the school colors, the “Golden Brown” features a menu developed with input from dietary and foodservice administration students and using student surveys. She started with the goal to use local ingredients wherever possible, but she and her students, have faced some real-world challenges.

“We are not there yet,” Gipper reports. “The students have seen some real supply challenges, and they see how much work goes into finding suppliers. But they love the project and having a bakery that’s just for them.”

Doing the research

In large-scale, on-premise dining, sustainable and local sourcing is not easy. At the University of Michigan, Mangan watches prices every day and tracks how the weather affects harvests and whether demand from the Chicago market will spike Marine Stewardship Council fish prices.

“In an era of cost containment, you have to make good choices and work harder and smarter to make the deal,” Mangan says. “We adjusted our prime vendor contract to allow more local proteins, seafood and produce to be purchased from secondary vendors. These vendors will be able to provide traceability down to the farm or fishery.”

Gipper also points out that campus dining services can’t up-charge for premium ingredients like restaurant can. “You have to know what’s out there and plan accordingly,” she says. “One local sourcing strategy that’s worked for us is to develop proprietary products and special sizes that help keep costs down.”

She partners with a local coffee roaster to have a 100 percent fair trade, organic coffee specially roasted and branded for her catering and dining services. A local bakery developed a 3 ounce version of its popular bagels, which usually run 5 to 6 ounces, just for the school.

“The size keeps the price competitive,” Gipper notes. “The students appreciate having these bagels on campus, and the bakery appreciates being part of the campus community.”

For more ideas about incorporating point of origin information on your menu, visit Lamb Weston at www.tracemyfries.com.