Sodexo cuts costs by going local

A small lettuce plant opens its leaves up to the cloudy sky on a farm in Beaver County. Only… A small lettuce plant opens its leaves up to the cloudy sky on a farm in Beaver County. Only 30 miles away, freshman Annie Boyd braves the lunch crowd at Market Central to fill her plate with greens from the salad bar. Thanks to a dining services initiative, the two events are likely to be interconnected.

‘It makes sense for the University to support what’s around here,’ said Boyd on the drive to provide up to 90 percent of the campus’ fresh produce from local farms. From winter tomatoes grown in a Butler greenhouse to mushrooms harvested in underground caverns, a diversity of local produce has crept into Pitt’s dining fare.

While not all students ponder the origins of their food, Boyd was already part of a consumer trend.

‘I’m from around here, so I like to go to Trader Joe’s because I know they buy local,’ said Boyd, adding a slice of cucumber to her salad. As more individuals and institutions consciously choose local produce, area farmers are noticing the change.

From his 80-acre family farm in Beaver County, Don Kretschmann reports an increased demand for the organic fruits and vegetables he grows.

‘People are becoming more aware of the differences between foods, that it means something for their health,’ he said.

Taste also plays a big part.

‘An apple from Washington state or California can’t hold a candle to a Pennsylvania apple,’ added Kretschmann.

There is another reason Pitt went local.

‘We want to be the greenest department on campus,’ said Tod Shoenberger, director of operations at Sodexo Dining Services, which oversees Pitt’s on-campus food services.

By minimizing the distance that a pepper must travel from a farm to a student’s plate, Sodexo decreases the amount of fossil fuels needed for transport.

The practice also results in lower delivery costs.

But how is a university that uses 1,000 pounds of tomatoes every week able to coordinate orders from 12 small scattered farms?

The answer is Paragon Monteverde.

Based in the Strip District, the fresh foods distributor has been connecting farmers’ wares with markets for years.

In the winter, the company provides some local produce from greenhouses, but it also supplies from national vendors.

Local meats and dairy might be next. As of right now, Sodexo does not have a partnership with a local source for these products, but a partnership could develop with the East End Food Co-op.

Shoenberger notes that implementing a campus-wide local food initiative with Paragon Monteverde was not difficult.

He is even able to specify which farm he wants to supply certain items.

For instance, most of the tomatoes on campus come from Brenckle’s Farms and Greenhouses in Butler, while Harvest Valley in Valencia specializes in growing sustainable herbs and spices.

Such personal relationships between farmer and buyer are at the core of local sourcing.

Kretschmann stresses the importance of reliable, trustworthy purchasers participating in the local economy.

‘If a farmer risks planting an entire crop in the spring, they need to know that someone is going to buy it,’ he said.

To reinforce the relationship between farmers and eaters, Sodexo has commissioned a poster mapping the regional farms that supply fresh produce to Pitt.

With this visual reminder, students might be able to mentally follow their victuals all the way to a farm outside the city, where a tiny lettuce plant reaches its roots into the soil and waits for a trip to Oakland.