In 2007, it was 11 percent, but today more than 56 percent of everything served and sold on campus is grown, raised, processed, or wholly manufactured within New York State, according to Cam Schauf, director of Campus Dining Services and Auxiliary Operations.
And during Dining Services’ annual Local Foods Week, April 11-15, this pledge to local products is taken even further to highlight local vendors with special meals, samplings, events and more.
Local Foods Week Schedule:
- Monday, April 11
- Local Lunch @ Eastman Dining
- Local Meatless Monday Dinner @ Douglass
- Tuesday, April 12
- Spotlight on Local Partners: California Rollin’ @ The Commons, 11am-1pm
- Meliora Beer Pairing Dinner with Nedloh Brewery, of Bloomfield, N.Y.
- Wednesday, April 13
- Iron Chef Local Challenge with Spoon U Lunch @ Danforth, 11am-1:30pm
- Spotlight on Local Partners@ Connections
- Team Green “Bee Day”
- Thursday, April 14
- Local Vendor Fair @ Eastman, 11:30am-1pm
- Spotlight on Local Partners @ Hillside POD featuring Upstate Farms
- Friday, April 15
- Club Rochester Tent @ Meliora Quad, 2:00pm-7:30pm (Danforth will close at 1:30pm)
- Lunch & Dinner Street Food Specials featuring Mel Plates @ Douglass
Another commitment to the University’s sustainable dining and purchasing programs was made this past February when Dining Services announced that by June 2016, all chicken served on River Campus and at the Eastman School of Music will be antibiotic free.
“The move to antibiotic-free chicken complements the University’s dedication to sustainability, as well as to purchasing and operating practices that are ecologically sound, socially just and economically viable,” said Schauf, who also serves as co-chair of the University Council on Sustainability.
Antibiotic-free products are a livestock industry alternative where healthy animals are not given daily antibiotics. The University is also exploring the impact and availability of sustainable (including antibiotic-free) pork and beef.
Currently, all of the dining center and food court salad bars and grill stations on River Campus and at Eastman serve antibiotic-free chicken. Additionally, the dining services at the Medical Center—Café 601, the new Metro Deli Café, patient dining, and catering departments—have plans to switch to all antibiotic-free chicken before the end of 2016.
For full information on the University’s commitment to sustainable dining, visit www.rochester.edu/dining/learn-more/sustainability/
