farm to institution: from policy to programs

Farm to Institution:

From Policy to Programs

Holly Freishtat, MS, CN

Sustainable Food Specialist, Cultivate Health, LLC

Food & Society Policy Fellow

©Holly Freishtat, Cultivate Health, 2008

September 19, 2008

Overview

• Community Food System

• Federal & State Policies

– Farm Bill

– Local Farms, Healthy Kids

• Farm to Institution

(schools & hospitals)

• Challenges and Solutions


A Community Food System:

Redefining Health

Martin Heller, C.S Mott Group

Michigan State University


http://www.mottgroup.msu.edu/

Food System Components

• Growing Food

• Distributing

• Processing

• Retailing

• Preparing

• Eating©Holly Freishtat, Cultivate Health, 2008

Community Food System Outcomes

• Healthy Individuals

• Environmental Stewardship

• Farmland Preservation

• Economic Development

• Farm Viability

• Community & Social Vitality


Farm Bill:

Local Food

Initiatives

Farm Bill: Nutrition Title

• Geographical Preference

• Fresh Fruit & Vegetable

Snack Program

• Senior Farmers Market

Nutrition Program

• Farmers Market Promotion

Program

• Community Food Projects


http://www.ers.usda.gov/FarmBill/2008/Titles/TitleIVNutrition.htm

Geographical Preference (Section 4302)

• Allow K-12 schools receiving federal funds

for school lunch the flexibility to specify a

geographical preference for procurement of

“unprocessed” agricultural products

• Regulatory- no cost associated

• Issue

– Interpretation of “unprocessed”

– Dried products (season extenders)


Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Snack Program (Section 4304)

• Low income schools

• Provide fresh fruit &

vegetables snacks daily

• $500 Million mandatory

funding (5 yrs)

• Can preference local

products


Senior Farmers Market Nutrition ProgramSection 4231 and 4406 (c)

• $ 20.6 million per year

(mandatory)

• Produce vouchers to low

income seniors for

Farmers Markets, road

stands, CSA

• $10-$100 annually per

recipient (vary by state)


Farmers Market Promotion ProgramSection 10106

• $ 33 Million mandatory

funding (5 years)

• Grants up to $75,000

• 10% of annual funds for

“food stamps” at markets

• Promote farmers markets &

direct marketing

– Market development, EBT, etc.©Holly Freishtat, Cultivate Health, 2008

Community Food ProjectsSection 4406 A7

• Grants for developing

solutions for food security

linking farms & hunger

• $5 Million over 10 yrs

• Mandatory Funding

• For nonprofits only

• Previously funding level


Farms to Foodbank

Farm Bill: Rural Development Title

• Value-added Agricultural

Development Program

Grants (section 6202)

• Healthy Urban Food

Enterprise Development

Center (section 4202-2)

• Financing for Local Food

Enterprises (section 6015)


Vincent, Growing Washington

http://www.ers.usda.gov/FarmBill/2008/Titles/TitleVIRural.htm

Washington State Policies:

Local Farms, Healthy Kids


Benefits• Healthy Kids

• Support Farmers

• Preserve Farmland

• Minimize Waste


Farm to School Program

Objective

• Increase purchase of WA grown foods

by WA schools to improve student

nutrition and benefit farmers

Goals

• Work with schools and farms to

promote purchasing

• Assist farmer in marketing to schools

• Provide curricula on locally grown

food


School Procurement Regulations

• Eliminates low-cost bid requirements for WA

products

• Allows schools to adopt price preference for

local food

• Requires state food contracts to develop

procurement plan to encourage local foods


WA Fruit & Vegetable Program

• 25 low-income schools

• Serving approx. 10,000 students

• Fresh & dried fruits & veg.

Issues for schools

• Training on seasonality, farms,

& food system education


Farmers Market

1. Farmers Market

Technology

Program

2. Farmers Market

Nutrition Program


Promotes School Gardens

• Permits schools to grow

food for school snacks &

meals

• Requires education about

organic & conventional

growing methods

• Puget Sound School

Gardens Collective


Food $ense CHANGE Garden Sites

http://king.wsu.edu/nutrition/change.htm

Farms to Foodbank


• Develop strategies for

foodbanks to buy from

farms

• $350,000 for 3 pilots

• Hired coordinator

Farm to Healthcare


Healthy Food in Healthcare Pledge

Ad Hoc Food Policy:

1. Nutritional Quality of

food

2. Sustainable Food

Procurement

3. Support Local Farms &

Sustainable Agriculture

4. Reduce Waste through

food composting©Holly Freishtat, Cultivate Health, 2008

http://www.noharm.org/us/food/pledge

HCWH Pledge Report

Intervention % #

Purchasing local and/or third party certified produce 72% 76

80-100% of purchased fluid milk is rBGH free) 81% 85

Purchasing meat without hormones or antibiotics 44% 46

Purchasing poultry without antibiotics and arsenic 42% 44

Purchasing sustainably harvested seafood 39% 41

Increased fruit and vegetable offerings 100% 105

Decreased availability of processed foods 77% 81

Partially transitioned to bio-based food service ware 50% 53

Farmers' market or farm stand on-site 25% 26

Host a CSA program 25% 26

Composting food waste 60% 63

http://www.noharm.org/details.cfm?type=document&ID=1942

WA Hospital Pledge Signers

• Seattle Children’s Hospital

• Overlake Hospital Medical Center

• Northwest Hospital and Medical Center

• University of Washington Medical Center

• MultiCare Health System

– Good Samaritan Hospital,

– Tacoma General Hospital,

– Mary Bridge Children’s and Health Center

– Allenmore Hospital

Children’s Hospital

• Signed Healthy Food Pledge

• Sustainable Catering Policies

• Composting

• Farm Stand

• Co-sponsored the Healthy Food

in Healthcare Roundtable


Northwest Hospital & Medical Center

• Signed Pledge this spring

• Sustainable Catering (Herban

Feast)

• Composting Food and Bio-

based Service Ware

• CSA program and farm stand


Overlake Hospital Medical Center, WA

• Purchase Sustainable Seafood

• Patient tray’s have organic

produce

• Exclusively use whole grain

breads in Cafe

• Food Composting

• Recycling


Christopher Linaman Executive Chef

Challenges & Solutions


Challenges: FarmerInfrastructure

• Distribution

• Processing Facilities

• Storage

Production

• Size of farmer

• Variety of products- seasonality

Markets

• Wholesale vs. Direct Marketing

• Price

Challenges: Institutions

• Strict food budgets

• Buys pre-cut and packaged produce

• Prime-vendor contracts

• Rebate incentive (hospitals)

• Accustomed to year round ordering

• Food Safety- liability insurance

• Education about local sourcing

• Development of seasonal menus

• Training on food preparation

Solutions: Programs & Policies


• Farm to School Program- WSDA

• Puget Sound Regional Food

System Project (NABC & CHC)

• Food Hub (Ecotrust)

• Puget Sound Fresh

• Good Food Policy Coalition

• King County Policy Council

• Many, many more …..

Conclusion: Linking Agriculture to Health

• WA Food & Farming Policies

• Institutional Market

– Collectively hospitals & schools

have the economic engine that can

create and promote a regional food

system

• Farming Community

– Major Ag. State, year-round crops


Resources• Local Farms, Healthy Kids Legislation (HB 2798)

• Farm Bill 2008: Side by Side

• Puget Sound Regional Food System Project

• Menu of Change: 2008 Survey of Healthy Food in

Healthcare Pledge Hospitals

• Sustainable Food Policy

• Glynwood: Guide to Serving Local Food

• National Farm to School Network• Note: To view additional resources, click on the underlined words in presentation


http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2798&year=2008


http://www.ers.usda.gov/FarmBill/2008/Titles/

http://www.agbizcenter.org/programs/regionalFoodSystemProject

http://www.agbizcenter.org/programs/regionalFoodSystemProject



http://www.foodalliance.org/sustainablefoodpolicy

http://www.foodalliance.org/sustainablefoodpolicy

http://www.glynwood.org/resource/guidelocalmenu.pdf

http://www.farmtoschool.org/

farm to institution: from policy to programs

Documents