Food Matters, Local and Organic

Columnist Mark Bittman points out in the International Herald Tribune why organic food isn’t always the best choice, especially when considering carbon footprint. And speaking of local food, Doug Hubley wrote a really nice summary of a presentation by  four Maine-based Bates alumni, each an expert in food issues.

Fun Food Facts from Bates Dining Services

During a recent President’s Council meeting of Bates vice presidents, deans, directors and managers representing the entire College, we heard some interesting factoids from Christine Schwartz, our dynamic director of dining services. Here are a smattering:

(Answers at bottom of this post)

1. Do Bates students eat more potatoes or fruit?

2. How many hand-stretched pizzas are projected to be eaten this academic year?

3. How many meals are donated each year to the local food bank?

4. How much waste goes into the Dining Services dumpster? (Warning: trick question.)

Answers

1. Bates students eat about 6,000 pounds of fruit per month and 2,000 pounds of potatoes. Eighty-five percent of the potatoes were grown in Maine.

2. 35,000 pizzas. The dough balls are produced locally by DaVinci’s Restaurant of Lewiston and by the  Spelt Right Bakery of Yarmouth (owned by Bates alums Beth George ’85 and Tim Kane ’82).

3. More than 33,000 meals are donated each year to the local food bank. It is food that isn’t eaten at each meal, about 40 meals per meal period — which isn’t much, considering that the College averages about  1,700 meals per meal period.

4. None. There is no dumpster! After years of trying new and different ways to recycle (Bates was the first Maine college to divert its food waste to a pig farm), about 90 percent of  Dining Services waste is  diverted from the waste stream. The remaining 10 percent is transported in bags by the same contracted hauler who does Bates’ recycling. It averages about 200 pounds of waste per day, seven bags of waste.

Common Ground Fair Sept. 19-21

I love Maine county fairs. But none can touch the annual Common Ground Country Fair up in Unity for local, natural and organic food. More than that, the Common Ground Fair speaks to Maine’s future more than its past. Last year, it was heartening to see a large sustainable energy section, with vendors showing off new building materials designed for a state in which energy costs are dramatically rising.

This fair was created 32 years ago by Maine organic farmers and craftspeople, and about 50,000 visitors are expected over the weekend. The organizing group, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), formed in 1971, claims to be the oldest and largest state organic organization in the country.  It also claims that organic farms are on the rise in Maine – a good thing.