Spring 2007, Volume 10 Newsletter:
Fresh, local, sustainable food at Harvard Medical School
When was the last time you thought about where that apple you are eating comes from? What resources such as fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation water went into producing that apple? Did it travel across the world from New Zealand or was it grown here in Mass? Who was the farmer? These are just a few of the important questions the Medical School and its food services contractor Restaurant Associates have begun to ponder.
Providing healthy, high quality food has always been a priority for the Harvard Medical School (HMS), where researchers, faculty, staff, and students understand the important role food and nutrients play in our bodies. And just recently, partnering with Restaurant Associates (RA), the School has initiated a Sustainable Food Program to assess where and how the food served in the campus cafes is grown, transported, and produced, with the ultimate goal of increasing the use of local, farm fresh, and organic foods in the meals and products offered in the cafes.
This new program is just getting started and HMS and RA are still in the early planning process, but keep an eye out for healthy, locally produced, eco-friendly food choices coming soon.