Farm to Institution Council

Overview
As the most recent collaborative group, the Farm to Institution Council was established in June 2017 as a means of incorporating other institutions into a group that follows some of the main collective impact principles established through the F2ST and NHLT. The goal of the Council is to identify, focus, and find solutions for many of the prevailing challenges growers, distributors, and institutional buyers face in connecting the good food market. Some of these challenges are:

• Cost
• The need for items in high volume
• Feasibility of purchasing from small farms
• Transparency in supply chain
• Local product not available by broad-line distributors

By focusing on challenge areas, the Council will systematically address key barriers to supporting local farm viability and greater access to healthy foods in our community.

Impact

Through the first few meetings of the Farm to Institution Council, the Farm to Institution Center has partnered with organizations to begin working on collective purchasing initiatives and an online marketplace pilot program, both projects in development for 2018.

Click here to view San Diego Growers resources.