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In 2017, Farm to Institution New England hosted a farm to institution training to help food service consultants and other value chain facilitators succeed in reaching local food purchasing goals by better understanding specifications, RFPs, proposal development, and management. The webinar included a live case study sharing how the University of Vermont navigated a cutting edge RFP process by working with a consultant and engaging the campus community.

This resource was developed by the Chicago Food Policy Action Council and partner organizations for people who are growing food or running food businesses to learn about new, emerging market opportunities being created by the Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) and the Good Food Purchasing Policy resolutions adopted by the City of Chicago and Cook County. We hope you find the information useful as you consider selling food to community nutrition programs that serve students, seniors, hospital patients, and other residents. The guide will also be useful if you are interested in selling food to food concessionaires (restaurants or caterers with public contracts) or publicly-run food festivals (e.g., Taste of Chicago). Published in English and Spanish.

This resource was developed by the Chicago Food Policy Action Council and partner organizations for people who are growing food or running food businesses to learn about new, emerging market opportunities being created by the Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) and the Good Food Purchasing Policy resolutions adopted by the City of Chicago and Cook County. We hope you find the information useful as you consider selling food to community nutrition programs that serve students, seniors, hospital patients, and other residents. The guide will also be useful if you are interested in selling food to food concessionaires (restaurants or caterers with public contracts) or publicly-run food festivals (e.g., Taste of Chicago).

This article outlines steps to follow for parents adjusting to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A bold vision that calls for our region to build the capacity to produce at least 50% of our food by 2060 while supporting healthy food for all, sustainable farming and fishing, and thriving communities.

In the United States, both food security and food waste are critical issues for population health and well-being. Approximately 13.5% of U.S house­holds experienced food insecurity in 2023. In a given year, an estimated 22 million pounds (10 million kg) of food are wasted in college campus dining halls. Food Recovery Network (FRN) student-led chapters work to reduce food waste on campus, connect food-insecure popu­lations with excess food, and provide various opportunities for students to participate in activi­ties related to food security and food sustainability. This research brief describes the development of a logic model framework for planning an FRN chapter at an undergraduate university in Lehigh Valley, Penn­sylvania, and initial outcomes from Weigh the Waste events and a food drive. A logic model was developed to outline the situation, priorities, inputs, outputs, outcomes, assumptions, external factors, and FRN chapter evaluation plan. The main outputs include regular FRN chapter meet­ings, FRN chapter social media outreach, collab­oration with community-based organizations, Weigh the Waste events to address campus food waste, and food drives to provide resources for organizations serving food-insecure populations. For the Weigh the Waste events, a total of 529 lbs. (240 kg) of food waste, 296 lbs. (134 kg) of bev­erage waste, and 88 lbs. (40 kg) of plastic utensil waste was collected from 1,555 dining hall visitors during four meal periods. For the food drive, 1,618 items totaling 548 lbs. (249 kg), including food, toiletries, and cleaning supplies, were collected and donated. FRN chapters at other universities may find this model useful for program planning and for the sustainability of the student group over time.

This roadmap is a resource for public health advocates, policymakers, and others who seek to advance, adopt, and implement more effective and equitable food service guideline policies.

This report examines the salient factors influencing nutrition incentive program operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers reached consen­sus on several barriers, opportunities, and innova­tive adaptations in incentive programming opera­tions, both in the early stages of the pandemic outbreak and that may persist long-term.

This food service toolkit describes the process to request proposals from and negotiate contracts with food service management companies in order to maximize opportunities to incorporate regional food. These tools are also applicable to self-operated facilities for use in setting internal goals and contracting with group purchasing organizations or directly with suppliers. Information generated from more than 40 interviews with food systems advocates and staff from food service management companies.

This toolkit is designed to assist you in communicating with a current or potential distributor about meeting your institution’s need for both product and tracking reports that document local and sustainable purchases.