Unity College Cafeteria Serving Up Food From Maine 

Web Editor:  Aaron Roberts, Reporter  
Created: 1/31/2008 12:25:11 PM
Updated: 1/31/2008 12:25:59 PM

UNITY (NEWS CENTER) -- The college is working to increase the amount of locally grown food on campus, but reaching that goal is a challenge.

Unity students say they like eating food that comes from Maine. Senior Heather Swieneicki, who works in the cafeteria, says it's important for a variety of reasons.

Swieneicki says, "It's nice to know you're eating something healthy and that it's from local places. You're helping local farmers."

If you walk around the kitchen and storage room you'll see plenty of local food. Apples from Fairfield. Blueberry jam from Turner. Honey from Smyrna. And a whole lot of oats from Linneus. The college also serves Maine milk, and a couple cereals made in Maine.

Sandy Donahue, Director of Dining Service, says, "What we do try to purchase is any local produce. That would include vegetables and fruit from farms."

Unity gets some of it's locally grown foods from Crown O' Maine Organic Cooperative. The co-op distributes food from local farms to buyers around the state.

Pamela Stone, Unity Storeroom Clerk, says "I'm really interested in the concept of sustainability. I think that I'm interested in the local economy, and giving it a boost."

One of the biggest challenges Unity College faces, especially this time of year, is finding local produce. None of the food in the salad bar in the winter is from Maine. Throughout the year, 15%-25% of all the food at Unity is local.

On our trip to Unity, none of the hot food at lunch was local. Sandy Donahue says another challege is that some of the ingredients they need simply aren't produced in Maine. Donahue says local food isn't always more expensive, but says it sometimes can cost significantly more.

The school is proud that almost a quarter of its food comes from Maine. The goal is to increase that percentage. Not only because they say it's healthier, but because it's a way of life they truly believe in.

Other schools in Maine use local food. Bates College says between 28% and 30% of its dining hall food is grown locally. About 20% of the food at Colby College comes from Maine. And UMaine officials tell us they use a lot of local produce.