Farm to Childcare: An Analysis of Social and Economic Values in Local Food Systems

Rutz, Jacob C.; Bloom, J. Dara; Schroeder-Moreno, Michelle; Gunter, Chris

doi:10.5304/jafscd.2018.083.004

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Economically, scholars have argued that FTS programs may provide a stable source of revenue to producers, particularly small farms, allowing them to diversify their streams of revenue, and stimulate local economies through job creation and increased local spending by producers and their employees (Christensen et al, 2019;Feenstra et al, 2011). Environmentally, FTS programs may reduce waste in the supply chain and give institutions stronger influence over the growing practices of their vendors (Izumi et al, 2010;Rutz et al, 2018;Yoder et al, 2015).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farm-to-hospital programs and public health: Leveraging local food for organizational and behavioral change

Warsaw

Morales

2022

J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev.

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Farm-to-hospital (FTH) programs have emerged over the last decade as an approach for hospitals to leverage their buying power and growing influence in the food system to support healthier eating habits, as well as stimulate local economic development and community wealth building, often within a broader set of policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) interventions. While FTH programs have increased in prominence over the last decade, several challenges prevent widespread adoption. These include distributor contracts that limit outside purchases, logistical challenges receiving products from local vendors, and a lack of buy-in from key decision-makers. These challenges frequently reflect foodservice operations organized to maximize revenue, which lends itself to an approach that sources cheap and unhealthy food products. In this paper, we present findings from a case study of two hospitals part of the University of Wisconsin Health system in their efforts to develop a farm-to-hospital program from 2008 to 2017. Specifically, we study the organizational strategies used by the We Are Health Committee (WAHC) and its informal predecessors to create the conditions to facilitate and encourage local food procurement. We find that stakeholders reorganized their foodservice operations around the value of supporting public health, leveraging their clinics’ mission as a public health institution. This resulted in the creation of new organizational structures and roles, including merging their nutritional and foodservice departments, creating the infrastructure for institution-wide change. Local food procurement was perceived as a means to develop nutritional interventions targeting the availability of healthier food items without creating the perception of paternalism among visitors. Finally, as stakeholders observed the local economic impact of their purchasing decisions, the values of their foodservice evolved to explicitly include supporting local economic development, resulting in an evolution of their relationship with their broadline distributor to facilitate increased local food purchases.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farm-to-hospital programs and public health: Leveraging local food for organizational and behavioral change

Warsaw

Morales

2022

J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev.

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“…Examples include advisory groups involving key policy partners, nutrition experts, and community-based organizations [ 57 ▪▪ ], early childhood coalitions engaged in changing ECE policies and systems [ 62 ], and food access initiatives and partnerships [ 63 ]. Farm to ECE also represents a potential avenue to strengthen local food systems, develop cross-sector collaboratives that support nutrition in early childhood, and support local economies while also providing opportunities for children to participate in experiential learning and develop increased willingness to try and consume fresh fruits and vegetables [ 64 , 65 ]. Healthcare providers and health systems have unique insight and expertise to contribute to such collaboratives, and can ensure child health and nutrition remain key priorities.…”

Section: Key Elements To Support Food Security In Early Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on food security in early childhood

2022

Current Opinion in Pediatrics

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Purpose of reviewTo summarize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity during early childhood, with a focus on challenges and strategies to improve access to and consumption of nutritious food in early childcare and education settings.Recent findingsThe COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing gaps and inequities in the early childcare and education system, resulting in closures and decreased access to healthy foods that disproportionately impacted black, indigenous, and people of color, as well as rural and low-income communities.SummaryClosures and changes in operational capacity not only stressed the early childcare and education system and its workforce but also contributed to financial strain and food insecurity among families with young children. Increased public investment and cross-sector partnerships can support and strengthen both early childcare and education and food systems, increasing equitable access to quality care and reducing food insecurity in early childhood.

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“…These policies should also take into account the specific needs and perspectives of stakeholders across the food system who are involved in or affected by a large-scale university foodservice operation. While there is a substantial body of literature regarding the contextual values and the values and motivations of stakeholders associated with farm-to-institution programs (Conner et al, 2014;Rutz et al, 2018), the purpose of this study was more practical and forward-looking. The motivation for this study was that there have been difficulties with implementing existing values-based IFP frameworks at institutions of higher education.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Untitled

2023

J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev.

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left, and Nicola Inglefield, right, kneel with their farmer-researcher sign in a pepper patch that was part of Rebecca's multifarm sweet pepper breeding project in cooperation with the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario's (EFAO) Farmer-Led Research Program. Rebecca and Nicola also conducted a trial in cooperation with EFAO testing different methods for cabbage seed production. See more in the article in this issue, "Farmer knowledge as formal knowledge: A case study of farmer-led research in Ontario, Canada."

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Farm to Childcare: An Analysis of Social and Economic Values in Local Food Systems

Cited by 5 publications

References 40 publications

Farm-to-hospital programs and public health: Leveraging local food for organizational and behavioral change

Farm-to-hospital programs and public health: Leveraging local food for organizational and behavioral change

Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on food security in early childhood

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