UVM Food Feed

Frozen Yogurt Speeds Up with Slow Money

Posted by Guest Author | May 31, 2016

By Rachel Carter
Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund

Creamy farmstead frozen yogurt in vanilla, chocolate, maple, and coffee flavors is pumped into 300 Cobb Hill Frozen Yogurt pints a week—a number that has more than doubled from this time last year.

“A year ago, it took us three production days to do what we can now do in one,” exclaims Jeannine Kilbride, director and owner/partner of Cobb Hill Frozen Yogurt in Hartland, Vermont.

Last May, Kilbride presented at a Slow Money Vermont Entrepreneur Showcase event, making the case for a new batch freezer to double production of the artisanal frozen yogurt made in small batches from the milk of Jersey cows at Cedar Mountain Farm—also a part of the Cobb Hill community.

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Posted in Economic, Vermont | Tagged Economy, local foods, Vermont | Leave a comment

An Unlikely Fellow: Dispatches from the Trenches of Institutional Dining

Posted by Guest Author | May 26, 2016

By Hailey Grohman

At first glance, a stuffy conference room on the third floor of the Dean of Students building may not seem like the development site for the future of institutional food systems. It’s not a particularly glamorous place, not the bucolic landscape or corporate boardroom we might associate with important food decisions. However, this unassuming space, home of the Dining Implementation Team, is the site of one lofty goal: to support UVM in becoming a leader in institutional food provision. To do this, they must push the boundaries of what it means to feed 10,000 people every day while guided by an ethos of sustainability.

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Posted in Environmental, UVM | Tagged diet, Environment, UVM | Leave a comment

Study Suggests Commonly Purchased Foods Can Be Affordably Priced at Vermont Farmers’ Markets

Posted by Guest Author | May 24, 2016

By Cecilia McCrary, Abbey Willard, and Hailee May
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

One of the greatest barriers preventing consumers from purchasing local food at farmers’ markets is the perception that farmers’ markets are too expensive. Many consumers report that they avoid purchasing local food at direct marketing outlets, such as farmers’ markets, for fear of high costs.

Last year, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (VAAFM) conducted a pilot research project, “A Comparison Study of Product Pricing at Vermont Farmers’ Markets and Retail Establishments,” to address these consumer concerns and determine whether local products sold at farmers’ markets are indeed more expensive. The study concluded that farmers’ markets are a good option for consumers whose purchasing decisions are driven by price as well as local and/or organic attributes.

Photo by Vermont Tourism and Marketing

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Posted in Economic | Tagged farmers markets, local foods, Vermont | Leave a comment

UVM Food Summit Presenter Nija Rivera on Finding Her Good Food Dream Job

Posted by Guest Author | May 19, 2016

By Dorothy Neagle
Good Food Jobs

Admittedly, we are biased, but we can’t think of a better place to spend a summer weekend than the beautiful city of Burlington, Vermont. This June 14-15 brings the University of Vermont’s annual Food Systems Summit on the shores of Lake Champlain. Nija Rivera will be presenting at this year’s conference, among many other advocates for “good food.” What are you waiting for? The deadline to register is June 6th.

Good Food Jobs talked to Nija about her job at The Food Trust in Philadelphia.

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Posted in Economic, Health, UVM | Tagged Economy, health, local foods, uvm food summit | Leave a comment

M. Jahi Chappell on Food Security, Engagement, and the Nature of Good Food

Posted by Guest Author | May 17, 2016

Jahi-Chappell

By Hailey Grohman

M. Jahi Chappell is incoming Senior Research Fellow on Agroecology and Agriculture Policy at Coventry University’s Centre for Agroecology, Water, and Resilience in the UK. He was previously Senior Staff Scientist at the Minneapolis-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, where he provided scientific input for all of IATP’s programs. Chappell has consulted for the FAO, the city of Belo Horizonte, and La Via Campesina. Before working for the IATP, he was an assistant professor of environmental science and justice at Washington State University and associate director for WSU’s Center for Social and Environmental Justice.

Chappell will be a keynote speaker at the 2016 UVM Food Systems Summit on June 14–15. We talked to him about food security, engaged citizens, and the nature of “good food.”

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