Abstract
The farm-to-table movement has significantly increased in the United States during the last decade. More locally sourced foods are being used in meal programs on a larger, institutional scale. Farm-to-hospital initiatives have been emerging as an effort to reestablish local, healthy diets into the health care model. As a result, barriers, opportunities, and capacity-building strategies specific to farm-to-hospital initiatives are being more closely explored. The purpose of this study is to investigate perceptions and attitudes of local food producers and hospital staff towards using locally sourced foods in hospital food service programs. To identify these perceptions, in-depth interviews were conducted with staff involved with food procurement and management at two Montana hospitals and with local food producers and distributors. Barriers for hospitals to use locally sourced foods included price, product availability, and quantity, while opportunities included positive relationships, product quality, and champion leaders of the local food system movement within the hospital setting. Furthermore, capacity-building strategies suggested by the interviews included development of cooperative distribution of local foods and formalized working-relationship contracts. Most significantly, collaborative dialogue was identified as a method to further support the extent of locally sourced foods being used in hospital food service programs.
Highlights
Introduction and BackgroundTo increase food availability and to meet growing demand on a global scale, food production and distribution shifted away from small local businesses to a larger, industrialized system during the 1930s and 40s (Lobao & Stofferahn, 2007)
Researcher Perline conducted interviews with staff knowledgeable about food procurement and management at the hospitals, along with local food producers and distributors in Missoula, Montana, from January 2014 to March 2014. Key informants at both hospitals and a local food policy organization helped the researcher connect with staff knowledgeable about the management of the hospital food service programs or sustainability efforts and with local food producers and distributors
Our study shows that the systemic challenge of economies of scale and commodity food prices impact the ability of local producers and hospital food service programs to work together
Summary
To increase food availability and to meet growing demand on a global scale, food production and distribution shifted away from small local businesses to a larger, industrialized system during the 1930s and 40s (Lobao & Stofferahn, 2007). Throughout this period, farm production transformed to emphasize specialization, standardization, and consolidation in order to enhance productivity and economic efficiency (Ikerd, 2009). Based initiatives and direct marketing arrangements gained significant momentum by the 1990s in efforts to reconnect communities with the food production and distribution processes Direct marketing arrangements, such as farmers markets and community-supported agriculture (CSA), are reviving working partnerships between food producers and food consumers. Local farmers are connecting with schools, local restaurants, grocery stores, and other institutions (Dauner et al, 2011)
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