The campus farm at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor has reached a new milestone in its partnership with campus dining after selling $100,000 worth of fresh produce to the school’s dining team in 2019.
The student-run farm began supplying produce to dining services in 2017. Since then, the amount of produce supplied to the dining halls has grown each year. Michigan Dining Executive Chef Frank Turchan said the partnership has been essential to meeting students’ sustainability demands and has also increased the quality of food served on campus.
“Sustainability is what students want,” Turchan said in a statement. “Students want fresh and local items and the chefs are excited to use better and tastier ingredients. At the same time, we need to find ways to lower our carbon footprint. We can now use local food from our own campus to lead conversations nationally on the importance of a more sustainable food system. Purchasing food that students grew, student-employees prepared, and students consume is a win-win-win.”
The accomplishment is another step forward in reaching the dining team’s goal of sourcing 20% of its food locally by 2025.