Houston Market will be getting an eco-boost April 4 when it begins to use and sell local food products.
A section of the market will be devoted to the sale of locally grown food. Salads, sandwiches, soups and fresh produce will be available for purchase.
This promotion of organic and local food is the result of a collaboration between Farmecology -- a group founded this past fall by College sophomores Emma Kirwan and former Daily Pennsylvanian Photo Editor Rachel Meyer -- and Penn Dining Services.
The idea for Farmecology sprung from a project Kirwan and Meyer worked on in a course taught by professor Mary Summers called the "Politics of Food and Agriculture."
"As it stands now, the food we eat has spent an average of one to two weeks in transit before it even hits the store shelves," Kirwan said. "The money and natural resources spent on trucking lettuce from California could be much better spent."
By supporting farmers and businesses within Pennsylvania, Kirwan and Meyer said the University is hoping to help the environment and provide students with fresher food.
"We benefit from better-tasting, healthier produce and meat," Kirwan said. "The environment benefits from more ecologically responsible methods of farming."
The cost of the local food has yet to be determined. Summers said that food of this kind tends to be more expensive.
The prices will ultimately depend on the success of the new menu.
"The more local food that is bought, the more will be grown," Summers said. "Penn is not running a high-end restaurant -- they will have to bargain to get the food at prices students can afford."
The "buy fresh, buy locally" movement has enjoyed nationwide buzz in recent years, Meyer said. Many colleges and universities are adding locally grown food to their dining facilities. Yale University has a dining hall completely devoted to serving locally grown food.
At Penn, the idea was enthusiastically embraced by Aramark, the company that runs Penn's dining halls. Representatives from Aramark met with Kirwan and Meyer to discuss how to incorporate local food into the dining facilities.
Based on how well-liked the local food section at Houston is, Farmecology has plans to add local food to more dining halls at Penn.
Summers said that she foresees success for local food at Penn.
"I think it's a terrific first step," she said. "I am completely thrilled by how hard [Kirwan and Meyer] work and the support they've received."
Summers noted that this project can significantly impact what other colleges and universities choose to eat due to Aramark's influence.
"If we can make this work, if Aramark can, it can have a much wider and bigger impact," she said. "It can become feasible for other colleges to follow. It can function as a model."
