How to Get Started
Building a community team with administration and food service representatives is the first step of any Farm to Institution effort.
- Check out the Cornell Farm to School and National Farm to School websites
- Download Getting Started with Farm to School, Getting Started with Farm to Pre-K, and Starting a School Garden
- Check to see if your School District reported to the 2015 USDA Farm to School Census
- Interested in Farm to College? Connect with your Campus Sustainability Program. Check the member list for the New York Coalition for Sustainability in Higher Education.
Is Your Food Service Self-Operated or Contracted?
What type of entity manages and procures the food for the meals served in your institution? "Self-operated", as the word implies, means the service is provided within the institution's operations. Many institutions choose to out-source by contracting with a Food Service Management Company (FSMC), such as Aramark, Sodexo, Whitsons, Compass or their subsidiaries. We need to better understand the operations of FSMCs and how we can have a significant impact on their procurement of regionally produced foods. Check out the research and reports on FSMCs from Farm to Institution New England (FINE).