Meeting Minutes 02/17

Food Services Meeting:

• We get our food from Sysco corporation (eggs from New Jersey, milk from Queens, apples from Ithaca, baked goods locally baked)
• Getting food directly from local farmers is problematic because they have no insurance or backing.
• Contract for regular local meals
• Chefs in John Jay could be interested
• 13,000 on campus per day, 2,500 in John Jay.
• Spent $5.5 mil last year and estimating $6 mil this year.
• Nutritional info on food: portion size is a problem.

What do we want to propose to them?

• Local café? One place selling more local products. Good menu needs to be thought up, esp for winter.
• What do the labels mean, in J.J. – Sustainable, Organic, Local…
• What are the conditions in the places that supply our dairy and eggs?
• Local meal – good place to start. Biweekly local brunch.
• Harvest dinners in Ferris and Hewitt – who organized it? How?
• Wellwoman – perhaps work with them
• Tzedek/Va’ad wants to co-sponsor a farm trip and could fund it potentially.
• CSA for dorms?

To do list for next week:

• Do we have to go through Sysco? à get in touch with Margaret Hoffman (insurance issues)
• Talk to chefs – what can you serve for brunch this time of year?
• Look into the meat – is it humanely raised? Talk to other groups about altering the meat-buying practices of food services.
• Can we find out where the produce comes from? List from Jo
• U Penn is switching to local. NYU local/organic dining. Yale local farm relationship. à look into them as examples/ models.