Sodexo hosts broccoli takeover event at Maine universities

Eleven campuses across Maine are putting on spotlight on broccoli Tuesday, as Sodexo hosts a takeover event centered around the green vegetable.

Menu items offered during lunch will include cream of broccoli and cheddar soup, shrimp and broccoli stir-fry, and garlic beef and broccoli with rice noodles. In addition, diners will be able to learn about how the broccoli is grown and frozen to ensure its supply during the winter.

Several University of Maine outposts, as well as Maine Maritime Academy, Thomas College and Maine College of Art & Design, are participating in the event.

Sodexo has made a push toward local sourcing in the state through its Maine Course program, which has spent more than $7 million on Maine-sourced products since its creation in 2015. The foodservice management company has also partnered with the Good Shepherd Food Bank on its effort to highlight frozen broccoli grown in the state, which garnered recent funding from the Kendall Foundation.

“We knew having access to a frozen, Maine grown produce would allow us to offer a local vegetable during the winter months when fresh, local ingredients from Maine are dwindling,” Maeve McInnis, Maine Course director, said in a statement. “Broccoli is the number one vegetable that students eat on our [campuses] here in Maine, so this partnership with Good [Shepherd] Food Bank is a natural fit and we’re confident it will be a success for years to come.”