Luther College's food service supplier, Sodexo, says it has reached its local food use goal

Sodexo's Wayne Tudor

Luther College's food services provider, Sodexo, says it has surpassed the 20 percent mark in purchase of locally produced foods.

Sodexo estimates that it spent more than one-fifth of its food procurement expenditures for the 2011 calendar year to purchase food that was produced and processed within a 150-mile radius of Decorah.

"Increasing our purchases of locally produced foods will continue to be a focus of our operations in 2012," said Sodexo spokesperson Wayne Tudor.  "While we are pleased to have reached our 20 percent goal for the past year, we plan to increase our purchases of local produce in the year ahead."

A major portion of the locally produced food purchases included yogurt, ice cream, cheese curds, other dairy products and meats. The company also buys local vegetable produce in season, including all produce from the Luther Gardens planted and tended on campus by students and staff of the college's Sustainability and Environmental Education programs.

Curtis Raddatz, a purchasing specialist with Sodexo, said other primary suppliers of local foods include Grass Run Farms of Dorchester; WW Homestead Dairy of Waukon; Country View Dairy of Hawkeye; and the 16 producers and growers affiliated with GROWN Locally, a cooperative of small farms in northeast Iowa that provides fresh, high quality foods to local food service institutions.  GROWN Locally producers include Andon Acres, Maynard; G It's Fresh, Ridgeway; Heathered Ridge Farm, Postville; J&J Farm, Waukon; Klauke Family Farm, Dorchester; Kymar Acres, Waukon; Mike and Laurie Tallman, Castalia; Peake Orchards, Waukon; Prairieview Vineyard, Decorah; Raspberry Valley Farm, Elgin; Rawson Berries, West Union; Ridgetop Acres, Decorah; Rockytopp Farm, Lansing; Tir na n'Og, Farmersburg; Top of the Hollow Farm; Decorah; Village Creek Farm, Lansing; and J & J Produce, LLC, Hawkeye.