Chartwells Increasing Local Produce Purchasing In The Northeast

RYE BROOK, N.Y. — Chartwells School Dining Services, Newtown’s food service provider, has announced an emphasis in increasing local produce sourcing for the upcoming school year in the New England region. Representatives are working with several large produce houses in an effort to be proactive in sourcing more local food, according to the company.

This initiative is a result of a recent summit at the Worchester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts for representatives from various farm-to-school programs and state agricultural offices to discuss topics such as increased production, transparency, and marketing, according to a release from Chartwells.

Chartwells, the release said, works with local farmers to determine the food items each farm provides and then markets the products accordingly.

“Many of our producers already do a very good job at this but there is always room for improvement, and we are looking for our other distributors to follow suit,” said Chartwells Regional Chef for the Northeast Glenn Brunetti.

In New England states such as Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts, demand is stronger than supply due to a shorter growing season. As a result, Chartwells is looking to maximize local offerings and extend it with their Fresh/Frozen Produce Program into the winter months. The Fresh/Frozen Produce Program processes local flash frozen vegetables in schools during months when school is not in session. The program helps retain processing and sales in the Northeast and cuts down substantially on “food miles” to ensure that school menus feature local products all year round.

Chartwells representatives are set to attend the National Farm to School Conference in August.

“What’s so exciting about our partnership with the produce houses and the summit is that we have been teaming up with regional chefs from other sectors companywide to help get the word out about how committed we all are to buying local,” said Mr Brunetti. “We all have similar sourcing needs and this adds up to a lot of local product going to students all across the region.”

Chartwells School Dining Services, a division of Charlotte, N.C.-based Compass Group, and provides dining services for more than 550 public school districts and private schools, comprising more than 6,000 separate elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide. For more information about Chartwells School Dining Services, visit www.eatlearnlive.com.