Midwest Food Alliance Partnerships
Provide Boost for Certified Farmers
6/27/03
SAINT PAUL, Minn.-- Farmers raising food
using environmentally friendly and socially responsible methods received a
boost recently when Midwest Food Alliance (MWFA) signed new partnerships
with Roots & Fruits Cooperative Produce, one of the region's oldest
distributors of natural food products, and Sodexho USA, the nation's
largest contract food service provider.
Saint Paul-based MWFA is a collaboration of
the Land Stewardship Project and Cooperative Development Services, and a
regional affiliate of Food Alliance. MWFA uses a third-party
certification program to identify foods raised using environmentally
friendly and socially responsible production practices.
Certification requires that farms meet criteria for pesticide reduction;
soil and water conservation; wildlife habitat preservation; safe and fair
working conditions; and healthy and humane care for livestock.
MWFA certification coordinator Ray Kirsch
said these agreements with Roots & Fruits and Sodexho will require
more certified farms to meet demand this year. MWFA ended 2002 with
64 certified farms throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas.
"We anticipate that to supply all of
our current retail partners, distributors, and food service partners,
we'll need over 100 certified farms in 2003," said Kirsch.
"We believe that for many products we're going to have more demand
than supply, and that marketing opportunities for MWFA certified farms are
going to be greater than ever. For example, it may take several
farms and lots of grazing cows to supply just one college campus with milk
and cheeses."
MWFA currently certifies over 25 foods,
including fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy products. These
products are carried by Midwestern retail grocers such as Coborn's, Cash
Wise Foods and Kowalski's, as well as natural foods co-ops in the Upper
Midwest. Many products are also available directly from certified
farms.
Roots & Fruits has been an innovative
leader in the distribution of food and food related products for over 25
years. A worker-owned and operated wholesale distributor formed in
1978, Roots & Fruits' customer base includes retail food co-ops,
hotels, restaurants of all types, coffee houses, delis, and both natural
foods and mainstream grocery stores across the Upper Midwest.
Besides fresh produce, Roots & Fruits stocks a variety of other goods
including cheese, eggs, dried fruits and nuts, rice, pasta, flour, juices,
spices, and ethnic specialty items.
Everett Myers, a Roots & Fruits produce
buyer, said that his company prides itself on supporting local
producers.
"Through our partnership with Midwest
Food Alliance we will be able to expand our local, sustainable farming
program so that our customers and producers both benefit," he
said. "This will have a positive impact on the health and
economy of our rural and urban communities."
Sodexho USA provides food for college and
corporate campuses throughout the country. In Minnesota, Sodexho
services Concordia University, College of St. Catherine, Augsburg College,
Bethel College, Carleton College, Moorhead State University and University
of Minnesota-Morris. It also services University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire as well as Valley City State University and Mayville State
University in North Dakota.
College students and faculty are beginning
to look for foods that are raised in an environmentally and socially
responsible manner, according to Kirt Ingram, Regional Vice President for
Sodexho.
"We pay close attention to our
customers' preferences," he said. "Increasingly we're
hearing that they want us to offer healthy food grown locally with respect
for the environment and farm workers."
Jean Andreasen, marketing coordinator for
MWFA, said research shows consumers are interested in supporting local
farmers and environmentally-friendly products.
"By partnering with retailers,
distributors and food service organizations MWFA can bring together
like-minded farmers and consumers, including college students," she
said.
For more information on getting your farm
MWFA-certified, contact Ray Kirsch at 651-653-0618 or rkirsch@landstewardshipproject.org.
For information on where to obtain MWFA
products or how to become a MWFA retail partner, contact Jean Andreasen at
651-265-3682 or jean@foodalliance.org.
You can also learn more about MWFA by logging onto www.thefoodalliance.org/midwest
or www.landstewardshipproject.org/programs_mwfa.html.
