Farmers’ Markets for Institutional Food
Farmers may start selling their produce directly to institutional food providers such as hospitals and universities, according to this article in the Des Moines Register. The arrangement makes sense: Farmers need customers other than fickle weekend shoppers and the chefs at hospitals want to provide good food for patients and visitors. Even if institutions want to buy food at lower prices than a farmer could get at the market, they’ll buy in volume, which should make them viable customers for struggling farmers.
I think this is a good trend, of course, but I was most struck by an offhand comment in the article. Sysco, the giant food distributor, will start working with farmers to move locally grown food to customers who seek it out. That could cause a fundamental shift in the practicality of local produce. I’ll post more information on that as I find it.
Thanks to Marc from Mental Masala for the link.
One of the biggest trends in universities these days is a switch to local organic produce in the cafeteries–it is becoming a selling point to prospective students.
I am -very- intrigued with the idea that Sysco may start distributing local food from farmers to those who need it, but who want to keep with a single supplier. That may be a very -good- trend indeed, but it will be hard for smaller farmers to keep up with.
Thanks for the heads up about Sysco, Derrick!