The Center’s Research and Resource Development
The Farm to Institution Center prioritizes research and resource development to catalyze the effects of our work in San Diego County and beyond. The Center
has received national recognition as an expert in Farm to School Research, serving as a lead voice in accelerating institutional procurement tracking throughout
the United States. Developed resources provide community partners with critical information and tools to champion healthy food access and support local farmers within their communities.
State of Farm to School in San Diego County Report
The State of Farm to School in San Diego County Report provides a countywide assessment of school food procurement and farm to school activities. The report
measures farm to school participation and progress from the report’s baseline year, identifies common needs and concerns, and recommends opportunities to
systematically strengthen and expand farm to school activities.
SDC Food Hubs Needs Assessment Report
The San Diego County Food Hub Needs Assessment project assesses the preliminary feasibility of the development of a food hub in San Diego County via a two-part needs assessment. The project’s overarching aim was to determine whether a food hub can support better community access to healthy food while improving the economic viability of local farmers.
Good Food Rebate Program
The Good Food Rebate Program (GFRP) evaluates an economic incentive program in which institutional food buyers are rebated the average cost difference between “conventional food” and local, sustainable food. The GFRP serves as an innovative solution for barriers of high costs of local, sustainable food
2017-2018 San Diego County Crop Availability Report
The Crop Availability Chart is a resource which connects institutional food buyers such as school, hospitals, and others with more healthy, fresh, local food options. This chart presents an easy-to-understand visual showing the projected availability of local foods by crop and by month over the next year.
San Diego County Grower Engagement & Crop Availability Report
Every year, the Center conducts grower outreach to project the availability of fresh, local, produce and then works to connect local growers to produce distributors and institutional buyers. One result of this outreach is the San Diego County Crop Availability Chart, which is designed to facilitate direct purchases from local farms by schools, hospitals, and other institutional buyers.
The 2019 NHLT Cookbook Calendar
The 2019 Nutrition in Healthcare Leadership Team (NHLT) Cookbook Calendar is a collaborative project featuring healthy recipes
served on patient and/or cafeteria menus at San Diego County hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Strategies to Support Healthy Food Offerings Videos
These videos feature healthy hospital food service strategies presented by Nutrition Service representatives from San Diego County hospitals. This project is based off of Health Care Without Harm’s 2017 Menu of Change Report.
Farm to School District Profiles
District profiles provide information from San Diego County School Districts around Farm to School activities, school gardens, local food purchasing and
much more.
