Lean, Low-Carbon, Local Proteins

UMass Dining is working harder than ever to develop an institutional model for procuring Lean, Low-Carbon, Local proteins. The initial focus of our efforts is on supporting and developing mid-sized supply chains that are, in the words of Vermont Packinghouse, “big enough to have an impact, yet small enough to care.”

UMass Dining has shown tremendous success with our Lean, Low-Carbon, Local Protein Initiative within the past year. In FY16 we spent $340,000 with local purveyors of beef, pork, and poultry, a 95.5% increase in local meat purchasing from FY15. Two factors led to this near double in purchasing - the first was an increase in purchasing with our existing meat vendors such as PT Farms by 123%, Misty Knoll Farms by 38.5%, and Diemand Farm by 30%. The second factor was the addition of four new meat vendors, including Maine Family Farm (Portland, ME), Fort River Farm (Hadley, MA), Joe Czjakowski Farm (Hadley, MA), and UMass Student Farm (South Deerfield, MA). Our investment in locally sourcing protein allows us to support local communities and economies and reduce our carbon emissions associated with food miles.

UMass Student Farm chickens.

Wild caught Salmon served in UMass Dining Commons.

In addition to terrestrial proteins, we spent approximately $162,000 on local seafood and $509,000 on sustainable seafood in FY16. For example, this year we increased sourcing of dogfish from Chatham, MA through Sea to Table. Dogfish are currently overpopulated and prey on species like cod, whose populations are concerningly low and struggling to rebound. Increasing sustainable fishing of dogfish allows cod stocks and other vulnerable species an opportunity to recover. Throughout the fiscal year we have also increased the presence of plant-based proteins on our menu. Plant-based proteins have a lower carbon footprint and are generally less expensive than animal proteins. The money that is saved by replacing animal proteins with plant-based proteins can then be reallocated towards more sustainable and local purchasing.

UMass Dining is committed to sourcing sustainable proteins in a way that other institutions can replicate. To remain as informed as possible, members of our staff have attended regional protein forums to help identify and address issues within the Massachusetts poultry industry. These forums bring together a variety of stakeholders in New England, such as farmers, funders, community members, policy-makers, and food service administrators, with the goal of collaboratively planning ways to increase capacity in the region to grow and consume sustainable foods. Our staff will take the information they have learned from these forums to assist our sourcing and purchasing decisions and to inform our model for other institutions. Moving forward, UMass Dining plans to take our responsibility a step further by coordinating and facilitating similar regional protein forums of our own. ​

UMass Dining’s “Better Burger” is made of a 30/70 mushroom/beef blend.

​By developing a model to secure lean, low-carbon, regional protein at an affordable price, UMass Dining has made it easier for other large-scale food providers both locally and nationally to replicate our efforts. UMass Dining has created a free How-To Guide for Food Service Operators that explains our model for restoring real food and regional food systems in our society.

UMass Dining’s delicious stuffed mushrooms packed with protein.