This year the dining services have done an excellent job in bringing local and organic foods into our dining halls. Here is a short list of what the local and organic foods are just so everyone can know where his or her food comes from!

~Cowlick Farm from the Finger Lakes area provides cheese and milk for the school.
~Upstate Niagara from Western New York provides Intense Milks, Upstate Farms, Wendts and Bison products.
~Freshlink Farms provides pesticide-free greens.
~Sugar Mountain Bake Shoppe has a booth at the Rochester Public Market and also supplies baked goods to the U of R.
~Little Bakery right from downtown Rochester provides baked goods made from local and natural ingredients.
~Lively Run Goat Dairy from the Finger Lake region makes preservative-free goat milk and goat cheese.
~Park Avenue Bakery from downtown Rochester distributes quality baked goods such as quiches and fruit pies.
~Beaver Lake Growers, D’Agostino Co-Op, Martens Companies, Bushwick Commission, Spring Water Sprouts, Red Jacket Orchards, Dimare Fresh Co-Op and Giorgio Mushroom are all local farms that provide in-season vegetables and fruits to the school. During the fall, fresh vegetables and fruits like squash, potatoes, corn, apples, tomatoes, and mushrooms are available.

Currently, 17% of the food purchased at the U of R is local or organic. Dining services is continually working to increase that percentage, making sure students get the healthiest and freshest foods. Next time you are in Douglas, Danforth, or the Pit, notice the food you are eating, because chances are, some of it is local and organic!

–Clarissa Perkins