Last week’s National Food Day served as a springboard for an ambitious goal. In urging UNC to have 20 percent of its food offerings locally grown and sustained by 2020, the student group Fair, Local, Organic Food underlined the value many place on the health, environmental and economic benefits of local foods. It marked a strong step toward providing better food options, but reaching this goal will require better collaboration between students and Carolina Dining Services, along with tweaks to the way UNC gauges necessary student support.
By including more humane, fair, community-based and ecologically sound foods in its purchasing plan, CDS has brought its consumption of sustainably grown food to 12.6 percent, according to FLO’s latest calculations.
According to CDS, 24 percent of its food was raised, grown or processed within 150 miles of UNC or North Carolina, but FLO says that number includes companies like Pepsi, Smithfield and Tyson. To reach this worthy goal of 20 percent, FLO and the University must agree to a shared understanding of what local and sustainable food entails.
Both sides must also agree to a barometer for assessing student support, which is necessary because the self-supporting CDS would likely have to raise prices. Scott Myers, director of food and vending services, said his office looks to 1.5.0., a Lenoir Mainstreet restaurant, to determine the level of student interest in local food. However, this approach fails to account for students who primarily use meal plans and avoid the expense of restaurants.
CDS could more accurately gauge this support by tracking the popularity of its local offerings, like grass-fed beef in dining halls. It could also poll its current customers to determine whether and how much they’d be willing to pay for more local and sustainable food.
FLO and CDS must transfer this momentum to students. An informed student body can accelerate the progress toward this goal and attest to the demand, or lack thereof, for it.
