Sustainable School Food Procurement in Large K—12 Districts: Prospects for Value Chain Partnerships

Conner, David S.; Izumi, Betty T.; Liquori, Toni; Hamm, Michael W.

doi:10.1017/s1068280500004226

Cited by 26 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…This financial fragility and dependence on low income streams is closely connected with another issue-the investment capacity of the FH, especially its ability to invest in the necessary infrastructure. Since the success of FHs is related to scaling up and out local food initiatives to advance alternative goals into a broader social space, scholars have identified the lack of physical infrastructures as a key limit to efficiently increasing the volume of local food consumption [92,93].…”

Section: Sustainable Food Community Development Approaches To Food Hubsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competitiveness of Small Farms and Innovative Food Supply Chains: The Role of Food Hubs in Creating Sustainable Regional and Local Food Systems

2016

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Abstract:Over the last decades, the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the conventional agri-food system has and continues to be contested within both academic and public institutions. For small farms, the unsustainability of the food system is even more serious; farms' declining share of profit and the cost-price squeeze of commodity production has increased barriers to market access with the inevitable effect of agricultural abandonment. One way forward to respond to the existing conventional agri-food systems and to create a competitive or survival strategy for small family farms is the re-construction of regional and local agri-food systems, aligning with Kramer and Porter's concept of shared value strategy. Through a critical literature review, this paper presents "regional and local food hubs" as innovative organizational arrangements capable of bridging structural holes in the agri-food markets between small producers and the consumers-individuals and families as well as big buyers. Food hubs respond to a supply chain (or supply network) organizational strategy aiming at re-territorialising the agri-food systems through the construction of what in the economic literature are defined as values-based food supply chains.

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Section: Sustainable Food Community Development Approaches To Food Hubsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competitiveness of Small Farms and Innovative Food Supply Chains: The Role of Food Hubs in Creating Sustainable Regional and Local Food Systems

2016

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“…Despite the increasing level of uptake throughout the European Union, the actual adoption of these criteria hasn't reached the objectives, varies much by country and is still quite limited in the food and catering sector [15]. Moreover, the school food supply chain are a condition in meeting schools' sustainable procurement goals and offer potential solutions to recurring procurement barriers [26,27]. Vice versa, the development of sustainable procurement practices can contribute to building more collaborative relationships between caterers and their local suppliers [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-Producing Sustainability: Involving Parents and Civil Society in the Governance of School Meal Services. A Case Study from Pisa, Italy

et al. 2014

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There is a rising awareness of the power of the public sector in enhancing sustainable consumption and production practices, in particular related to food procurement and its social, ethical, economical and environmental implications. School meal services have a high resonance in the debate on collective catering services because of the implications on the education to sustainable dietary habits and the orientation of the production system. This contribution focuses on the reciprocal relationship between professionals and users of school meal services as a driver to mobilize new resources-according to the theory of co-production-that steer service innovation and a shift towards more sustainable practices. We illustrate this through a case study on the school meal system in Pisa (Italy), where the Canteen Committee represents an institutional arena for participation and empowerment of actors that has gradually gained a central role in shaping this school meal service. Despite the challenges and obstacles, the institutionalized co-production of services allows consolidation of trust among key players and the introduction of innovations in the service, in the form of several projects oriented to sustainability which would not take place without the joint effort of actors involved, parents in the first place.

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“…These services are needed due to the difficulty of delivering adequate and reliable quantities of food to mass markets, while still maintaining the farmers' identities and connections to consumers (Conner, Izumi, Liquori, & Hamm, 2012). Moreover, direct markets have been so successful that the markets have actually become saturated in some areas, leaving little or no room for continued growth and new market entry (Zezima, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building Resilience in Nonprofit Food Hubs

LeBlanc

Conner

McRae

et al. 2014

JAFSCD

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Food hubs serve as intermediaries between market actors in the aggregation and distribution of local food. Scholars have identified four common food hub models: retail-driven, nonprofit-driven, producer-driven, and consumer-driven. The nonprofit sector has played a prominent role in emerging alternative food networks such as food hubs. This research uses qualitative methods to analyze the development of nonprofit food hubs in Vermont, as well as potential challenges faced and opportunities gained by this model.The results suggest that nonprofit food hubs in Vermont can foster the awareness and education necessary to create and expand a thriving community food system, allowing multiple actors to participate at multiple levels. In this way, nonprofit food hubs provide a vehicle for cooperation between farmers and consumers. The most successful food hubs are those that develop within existing organizations; through the multifunctionality of the organization, the food hub can help educate consumers and producers and foster relationships that can lead to an increase in a local food system's capacity. Analysis reveals that although nonprofit food hubs offer the potential to positively impact local food systems, there are key areas of perceived vulnerability that threaten the overall resilience of this model. Recommended interventions for building resilience in nonprofit food hubs include technical assistance, a Jacqueline LeBlanc, MS, Department of Community Development and Applied Economics, University of Vermont. Jacqueline works for both Yellow Wood Associates, Inc., a rural community economic development consulting firm based in Vermont, and Feast Down East, a nonprofit food hub in Wilmington, North Carolina.

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Sustainable School Food Procurement in Large K—12 Districts: Prospects for Value Chain Partnerships

Cited by 26 publications

References 17 publications

Competitiveness of Small Farms and Innovative Food Supply Chains: The Role of Food Hubs in Creating Sustainable Regional and Local Food Systems

Competitiveness of Small Farms and Innovative Food Supply Chains: The Role of Food Hubs in Creating Sustainable Regional and Local Food Systems

Co-Producing Sustainability: Involving Parents and Civil Society in the Governance of School Meal Services. A Case Study from Pisa, Italy

Building Resilience in Nonprofit Food Hubs

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