Farm to Institution: Successes, Challenges & Considerations

Institutions play critical roles in creating robust regional food systems by directing their substantial purchasing power towards local farms. In this session, culinary leaders at a research hospital and a K-12 school district will be joined by a regional food hub to discuss their strategies for bringing California products from field to kitchen. These kitchens include those serving the 625-bed UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento with its 3 retail cafes serving >6000 meals daily and the Ojai Unified School District with ten schools serving 2,000 student meals annually. Panelists will discuss successes and challenges in the kitchen, a food hub's role in linking farmers with institutional kitchens, and how to think through whether selling to institutions is right for your farm.