Kymm Mutch, MS, RD SNA Chapter 16 meeting October 10, 2013 “ Regional Learning Lab Project Director A Program of Public Health Solutions

School Food FOCUS … is a national collaborative that leverages the knowledge and procurement power of large school districts to make school meals nationwide more healthful, regionally sourced, and sustainably produced.

FOCUS Approach and Values  Participatory and stakeholder-driven  Comfort with, or at least tolerance for, not knowing  Co-learning and knowledge co-creation  Transformational leadership  Systems change It’s all about relationships

Regional Learning Lab (RLL)  2012: first multi-district Learning Lab launched in the Midwest  Builds on collaborative methods and lessons learned in single-district Learning Labs  Redirects procurement of specific more healthful, regional and/or sustainable foods  Funding:  WK Kellogg Foundation  Kreskge  Surdna  Lowenstein  Robert Wood Johnson

Regional Learning Lab School Districts

Regional Learning Lab StateSchool DistrictDistrict Partner IllinoisChicago  AraMark  Healthy Schools Campaign  Family Farmed.org IowaDes Moines National Center for Appropriate Technology MichiganDetroit  Detroit Eastern Market  Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems MinnesotaMinneapolis Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) MinnesotaSaint Paul Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) NebraskaOmaha Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition OhioCleveland Ohio State University Extension Additional Partners Great Lakes Region Farm to School Network (Wisconsin) Asian Food Solutions, Inc. (Ohio) Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative Participating School Districts and Partner Organizations

Work GroupFood items to start working on Turkey Clean label turkey roast (whole or sliced): 1)Smoked 2)Roasted Beans/Grains Start with regionally grown and processed pinto beans in shelf stable, not canned packaging; move towards a more healthful burrito Fruit and Vegetables RFI/RFP template including Geographic Preference and cosmetically imperfect seconds for: 1)Fresh produce 2)Frozen produce Chicken RLL decisions about chicken made within the National Procurement Initiative 1)RWA/MSS drumsticks 2)RWA/MSS chicken strips (like fajita without seasoning) Combined Districts’ Food Priorities : After much deliberation, the work groups are…

Regional Learning Lab Student Enrollment for School Year Photo Source: Total Enrollment: 690,533 Students

Regional Learning Lab Total Lunches Served per Day: 430,193 National School Lunch Program Daily Participation

Regional Learning Lab Districts Total Combined Food Service Operating Budgets Total Combined Operating Budgets : $407.9 M

Supply Chain Discovery Policy Peer Learning Procurement change Process Of Procurement Change

Access to wholesome food Re-training/Cooking Kitchen Equipment Procurement Change in School Kitchens…

A Simplified Food Supply Chain Melanie Pullman, Food Supply Chain Management: Economic, Social and Environmental Perspectives, 2012.

Producer s ProcessorsDistributorsSchool Districts Regional Learning Lab Supply Chain Discovery

Explore options within commercial market and USDA Foods. Be creative: include growers, processors and products that do not currently serve the K-12 market. Reach out to all processors large enough to serve one, some, or all districts. Investigate potential for local supply. Identify gaps in infrastructure. Supply Chain Discovery

Initial foods for Fruits and Vegetables: ” Kale Roasted Root Veg Berries Frozen regionally grown produce Plus: Cosmetically-imperfect regional “seconds” Source: commons.wikimedia.org Source: edinburghselfcatering.wordpress.com

Item Category Total Dollars SY July 2012 to Dec Kale 00 Roasted Root Vegetables 15,000 6,400 Berries 300, ,000 Dark Green Vegetables 1,190, ,000 Red/Orange Vegetables 740, ,000 Grand Total 12,300,000 8,400,000 Produce Baseline Data Item Category Total Dollars SY July 2012 to Dec Kale 00 Roasted Root Vegetables 15,000 6,400 Berries 300, ,000 Dark Green Vegetables 1,190, ,000 Red/Orange Vegetables 740, ,000 Grand Total 12,300,000 8,400,000

Roasted Root Vegetable blend Source: edinburghselfcatering.wordpress.com Combination of Carrots, Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes Carrots grown by Growing Power Carrots grown on Sysco owned land Partnership that is greater than the sum of the players involved!

Roasted Root Vegetable blend Source: edinburghselfcatering.wordpress.com Funded by a WI DATCAP grant to develop local crops Goal is to serve 100,000 servings in the month of October to students Educational materials are available - contact

com You can order today for service in October and November

Initial foods for Fruits and Vegetables: ” Kale Roasted Root Veg Berries Frozen regionally grown produce Plus: Cosmetically-imperfect regional “seconds” Source: commons.wikimedia.org Source: edinburghselfcatering.wordpress.com

Kale: the Possibilities Growing Power is producing: Local Great Tasting Highly Nutritious Environmentally Considerate In the Sysco Supply chain

The Power of the Public Plate Photo by Cynthia Torres

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