On Wednesday, September 24th, students dining at Redifer Commons could choose a local foods meal prepared by the campus dining service. A plate cost $9.50 and included a variety of fresh vegetables and a sirloin steak or tofu option. Seasonal soups and a produce stand selling carrots, apples, pears, and other groceries were also available. Several sustainable food-related organizations tabled by the register, such as the campus Green2Go re-usable take-out container program, the Community Friends and Farmers Food Co-op initiative, and the Sustainable Ag club.
A handful of the Sustainable Food Systems Coalition members investigated the scene to show support and indulge in some local grub. But at the following Coalition meeting, some voiced concerns about how the event played out.
For example, Jason Lilley, a graduate student in the College of Agriculture, shared his perspective on the rather modest portions of the main course despite the high-end price of the meal. This limits how much local food in total a student can try if he/she has only $10 to spend.
“As a farmer, graduate student, and local food advocate, I fully support the idea of integrating local food into the PSU dining halls. With the up-and-coming, student-centered farm at PSU, and excess produce that is frequently wasted at the Rock Springs research station, there are many opportunities for the dining services to incorporate locally grown food into the line up without spending excessive amounts of money.
As a farmer, I fully understand that locally grown produce cannot compete in price with factory farmed products from large distributors. Albeit, there are many ways in which a local meal can be prepared without charging incredibly high prices. It is my personal belief that we must do all that we can to encourage and entice people to eat local foods. If that means substituting the beef sirloin for a more affordable protein option, so be it.
I appreciate the effort put into sourcing a meal in this way. I’m sure that the farmers who sourced the food for the meal greatly appreciate the business, but we must work to go beyond the belief that local, healthy food is only for the wealthy. I look forward to future meals of this sort and just hope that it will be within a student’s price range.”
Other concerns included the bottleneck entrance to the food that led to crowding and may have discouraged additional diners from entering the area to learn about the local foods event. In addition, the popularity of the event meant that students arriving later in the evening discovered the sirloin skewer option had sold-out. This indicated good attendance but also limited the main course offering to just one plate option, potentially reinforcing the notion that local foods lack variety due to seasonal supply-and-demand cycles.
On a positive note, the bulk carrots were crisp, light, and freshly sweet, the pears were smooth and juicy, and the apples were the perfect size for snacking, and mighty in flavor.
All in all, members of the Coalition advocate for more local foods events on campus, to provide further opportunities to sample a greater diversity of foods, as well as food selection and styles of preparation that will cater to a broader range of palettes and pocket-books.
