Editor’s Note: Nonprofit Mississippi News Editor’s Note: The Southern Foodways Alliance collaborated with the Clarion Ledger and AL.com to highlight the economics of campus dining at Auburn University and Mississippi State University. AUBURN (Ala.) — The average Nile tilapia travels less that five miles each day from its home in the water to reach an Auburn University dining table. Auburn’s E.W. is a place where this is the normal course of things. The Shell Fisheries Center is where researchers are pioneering modern aquaculture, agriculture, and fertilizing vegetable crops using specially harvested waste from commercial-grade fish. This makes it safe and healthy for everyone. Mollie Smith, School of Fisheries manager, said that these fish are healthy. She was working in an aquaponics greenhouse, where she sprinkled feed on the water’s surface. This attracted a large, splashing crowd to its surface. “We know all that went into their ecosystem.” The Auburn fisheries system and the tilapia it raises form part of an overall ecosystem at Alabama University. Higher education funding has plummeted, and university finances have ballooned in recent decades. Colleges have turned to contract services to improve their bottom lines. They consolidate and shift management of departments like grounds or custodial work to contractors. This often renders workers ineligible to receive the university benefits of years past. Alabama’s dining and food service departments are one example. In recent years, both schools signed contracts with Aramark. This large food service corporation handles everything, from student workers to food purchases for public universities. According to Southern Foodways Alliance’s report in the State of Campus Dining project, similar contracts were found at Mississippi public universities. The Montgomery Advertiser reviewed the dining contracts of four universities in Alabama and Mississippi. It found that Auburn was the only one to require specific local purchasing standards in its Aramark contracts. Other universities offer “local food” programs that highlight local ingredients or suggest dining contractors purchase local “whenever possible”. Auburn, however, requires that dining purchases be made from Alabama businesses and those within 200 miles of the campus. This loops in Georgia. Auburn dining officials explain that the contract language is a commitment to quality and to local producers. This commitment was initiated by Auburn students who were interested in sustainability and local food movements almost a decade ago. Glenn Loughridge is the director of Dining Services. He says that one of the first meetings he attended when he arrived in Auburn in 2012 was with Auburn Real Food Challenge. This student group is dedicated to bringing 20% of “real” food to campus by 2020. Auburn set the Real Food Challenge benchmarks when it transferred its dining contract from Aramark to Auburn in 2018. Loughridge anticipates that Auburn will meet these benchmarks by the end of 2019. Auburn is a land-grant university that has a history in science, labor, and economics of how we eat. Twenty percent local makes perfect sense. Loughridge jokes about Auburn’s agricultural roots, which is why Auburn is often mocked by his alma mater. Auburn’s rich history cannot be ignored when you consider its understanding and relationship with Alabama farmers, the labor involved in food production, and the process that gets your food from the vine to your plate. We felt that this was an important driver because we were an agricultural school. He said that although it is difficult to simplify, every university has its economic drivers. Loughridge stated that it’s not as simple as “We want Farmer John to sell us his fields full of collard greens.” We need to be able trace back the sources to ensure that our students are safe eating food. It is not always easy to find local produce. Auburn has another opportunity to make an impact on farmers certification so they can sell into Sysco and other distribution models. Produce is from Clanton, Georgia, with dairy products coming from Thomasville, Georgia, and Alabama-made products coming from Evergreen, Dadeville and Evergreen. Auburn has its own meat services department. Auburn dining halls serve fish tacos made with Tilapia grown in Smith’s hydroponics research. Freshly picked lettuce salads are accented by cucumbers grown in aquaponics greenhouses. McEwen & Sons grits are made less than 100 miles from Auburn. Frank McEwen is the owner of the local grist mill and beef farmer. He believes in a sustained commitment to local labor markets. McEwen stated that small businesses are vital to the survival of our country. “It is obvious to me how important it is for communities to invest in small businesses and buy local. Know your farmers. Know your farmers. It can be hard for consumers to see the connection between a “Buy Local” stamp on a menu and the actual ingredients in a dish. Bama Dining at the University of Alabama promotes their “Homegrown Alabama” initiative. This denotes all locally produced and grown products in campus dining halls. According to UA’s website dining managers are required to buy local products whenever possible. Kristina Partridge is the director of UA Dining Services. Partridge said that UA doesn’t have any internal benchmarks for local purchasing, and that it doesn’t keep track of how often it meets Homegrown Alabama requirements. Loughridge stated that Auburn was committed to meeting the original contract requirements. So, no one was surprised. It comes with a price. No question. You must be committed to it. It can be easier if you get it in the works early and make sure it is part of your contract agreement,” Loughridge stated. Loughridge stated, “You can win people’s hearts and minds by offering something different.” It’s different to have a tomato that has been vine-ripened on campus than a tomato from another country. Campus food can make students feel like they are a captive market. This is why you might not try as hard. We want to change that. We are trying harder.”
The Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA), an Institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, at the University of Mississippi has focused on the labor of food in 2019 through symposia and films, podcasts, and other media. Four interconnected stories called Food Is Work were created by the SFA, AL.com and the Clarion-Ledger. They shine light on campus dining at Auburn University and Mississippi State University. These are the largest public universities in Alabama or Mississippi. These stories address questions such as worker compensation and benefits, revenue models for universities, and the relationship between universities, Aramark, a corporate food service provider. Reporters from the project will present their findings at the Southern Foodways Symposium, which takes place on the University of Mississippi’s campus. Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Melissa Brown at 334-240-0132 or mabrown@gannett.com.