This Culinary Connection CE article appeared in the May/June 2026 issue of Nutrition & Foodservice Edge magazine. To view a PDF of this article click HERE.
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Buying Local: Fresh Ideas for Championing Sustainable Practices
By: David Voelz, CEC, CWPC, CCA, WCEC, CDM, CFPP, FSWC, FMP, CHIA
Over the years, the question, “Where does my food come from?” goes in and out of the minds of consumers. One hundred years ago in much of the United States, the answer was, “right outside my door.” People grew or raised their own foodstuffs. Or they bartered with their neighbor for what they grew or raised. How many carrots did you have to give someone for a chicken?
As we entered the post-World War II era, the food origins question wasn’t asked as often. This was the dawn of TV dinners and the genesis of processed foods. However, that question popped back into the forefront about 25 years ago throughout much of the country. Since people’s lives and homes had changed dramatically, they generally weren’t able to sustain themselves by growing and harvesting their own food anymore. So, they looked for the next best option: food that was grown close to them.
For a family of four participating in the local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), it’s fairly easy to heavily supplement their menus from farms close to them. So how can we do that for our patients and residents? How do we integrate local or hyper-local foods into menus for 60- to 120- bed facilities? What’s the best way to deliver fresh, seasonal goodness to those we serve? Here are some thoughts on how to get started.
FOCUS ON SEASONALITY
The first exercise is to match your menu with what fruits and vegetables are available in your geographic region throughout the year. This practice makes more efficient use of resources and helps support area farmers. In North Carolina where I live, tomatoes start to come into season in late May/early June and last through the first of August. However, I have a colleague in Michigan who doesn’t get ripe tomatoes until almost July, but they last until September. So, if I want to menu a fresh heirloom tomato sandwich or a Panzanella salad, I need to focus on specific months. It’s not likely that a N.C. farm is going to have any tomatoes in November. Or consider melons. The growing season for melons will be longer in places like Florida and California. If you’re looking for fresh local watermelons and cantaloupe in Iowa in February, your menu will have a hole in it.
The second part of seasonality is to begin having conversations with your local farmers. If they know there will be increased demand or desire for a certain product, they might be able to plant more acreage. Some of the more knowledgeable farmers may have various tricks up their overalls for where they can plant an early crop and a late crop of something you’re requesting. Be sure to have those conversations well in advance. Farmers will want to sell all that they grow, and you won’t want to waste any product you’ve purchased.
REVIEW YOUR MENU
Your menu will likely be the hardest part of the whole “buy local” equation. For those of us who run cycle menus over several months, we are generally in “set it and forget it” mode. We are used to opening the freezer or a #10 can and the green beans are just there. In the Southeast right now, there is a pretty severe drought. This can affect the growing cycle with either limited or no product availability. The opposite can be true as well. Sometimes it rains for days on end. The farmer may be unable to get into their flooded field, and the crop could be lost. You will need to have backup plans and foodstuffs. Design your menus to have some flexibility and make sure your substitution logs are handy.
One of the best things about sourcing food locally is the freshness aspect. Your produce is not being trucked across the country, so it’s enjoyed shortly after it’s harvested and vehicle emissions are significantly reduced.
Another great aspect of local sourcing is being able to pass along the story of the food to your patients and residents. If they know that you have made an effort to partner with local growers, they will be able to follow along with the supply. If they see that it has rained for a week straight and you’ve gone back into the freezer to grab some veggies, they will likely be able to tell the story themselves as to why the substitution is necessary.
Additionally, growers and farmers often love to come and talk about their businesses. What is the history of their farm? What crops and livestock are produced there? Usually there is a deep and interesting narrative on how their farm came to be, involving multiple generations. Patients and residents have a chance to deepen the connection with their food through interacting with the growers personally.
CONSIDER PROTEINS
Until now we’ve focused mostly on fruit, vegetables, and grains, but many farmers are producing animals. When we talk about local and hyper-local livestock and poultry suppliers, there are some challenges to consider. Foremost will be quantity. If you have a 40-bed facility, you may not have to worry about this. But with a 120-bed population, it might be a stretch to find a consistent source for that quantity. Even if you happen to be their only chicken customer but you feature chicken breast on your menu once a week, that’s 60 birds that have to be processed weekly. Some growers may be able to raise that much poultry, but most don’t have large enough labor pools in order to slaughter and process that many birds each week.
The difficulty continues the larger the animal. Let’s say that you have a 60-bed rehab unit and you want to have a steak night. You’ve managed to control your budget so well you’d like to feature T-bone steaks. At their thinnest, you may manage to harvest 35 of those steaks from one cow. What will the grower do with the rest of the meat? What will you do for the other 15 steaks? Do you have a chef or someone with enough culinary skill to work the rest of the animal into your menu? Don’t be discouraged from moving in this direction and having conversations with local farms. But go into these meetings with reasonable questions and expectations.
ADDRESS FOOD SAFETY
It’s important to be familiar with your produce and livestock suppliers, and ensure they have implemented cutting-edge food safety practices. In your meetings with farmers or their representatives, discuss food protection principles and practices at each step in the growing, harvesting, and distribution process. Also adhere to state and local health department regulations.
FRESH IS BEST
Embarking on the road to integrating local and hyper-local foods in your dining program is certainly exciting and rewarding. Since the amount of fresh product you receive will be in smaller quantities, you’ll be looking to stretch it as far as possible to minimize waste. Your customers can follow along with the seasons and products they are consuming. Most treasured of all will be the relationships that are built between you, the growers, and your customers.
About the Author
David Voelz, CEC, CWPC, CCA, WCEC, CDM, CFPP, FSWC, FMP, CHIA
David Voelz is the Senior Director of Dining Services for Glenaire, a continuing care retirement community in Cary, N.C. Here he serves a diverse population of active seniors under the guiding principle, “Strive for perfection, settle for excellence. Perfection is found in the details.”
