In the face of rapidly spreading fad diets and a growing awareness of the connection between diet and disease, interest in the organic food industry is mounting on university campuses, said Tufts Dining Services Nutrition Marketing Specialist Julie Lampie.
At Tufts, though, there have only been a handful of students who have expressed interest in organic foods. "I receive a few inquiries every year," Lampie said. "More students may be interested, but I haven't heard from them. I'm hoping to get a better indication of student interest in organic and locally grown foods by adding questions to our annual dining survey relative to these issues."
Though the majority of students have yet to totally embrace organic products, Tufts has recently reactivated the Tufts Food Awareness Project (TFAP). Originally formed by graduate students to educate the Tufts community about environmentally and socially responsible food choices, TFAP is now a partnership between students, Dining Services, the Center for International Environmental and Resource Policy (CIERP), and Tufts Institute of the Environment.
In order to make organic foods more available on campus, Lampie said, Dining Services has recently added organic foods to the Jumbo Express Convenience Store. Among the organic additions are items such as organic blue corn chips, Amy's macaroni and cheese and burritos, cookies, trail mix, cereal bars, pasta and peanut butter.
Additionally, Lampie said, all whole grains, legumes and whole grain pastas offered at the vegetarian stations in Tufts dining halls are organic. Organic soymilk, tofu, cereal, granola and natural peanut butter are also available at campus eateries.
According to Lampie, there are two major obstacles that make it difficult to increase the variety of organic foods available on campus: price and availability. Organic items are more expensive than conventional ones. Organic milk, cheese, beef, poultry and produce typically cost three to four times as much as their conventional counterparts, making these goods price
prohibitive.
Lampie also noted that it can be a challenge to find organic produce sold in the massive quantities that Tufts would require. Plus, Tufts often purchases ready-to-serve produce (pre-peeled butternut squash, for instance) in order to reduce labor. Organic foods are not regularly sold this way.
Some Tufts students and graduates are forming their lifestyles around a firm belief in the organic agricultural system, in which food is grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. This greatly reduces the risk of chemical residue in food. Organic items also cannot contain artificial ingredients or preservatives. Farmers who grow food organically work to create biodiversity in soil in order to maintain soil integrity and manage pests.
This past summer, Tufts graduate Teague Channing (LA '01) invited students to intern on his organic farm in Las Trampas, New Mexico. Maisie Ganz, a Tufts sophomore who interned on the farm for several weeks this summer, has converted to a whole foods diet upon her return to campus and shops weekly at the Davis Square Farmer's Market, which is held every Wednesday from 12 p.m-6 p.m.
"Our current agricultural system isn't sustainable, and we're discovering that the food we eat is affecting our health in a large way," Ganz said. "After working on the farm, I feel more connected to the land and to what I put in my body."
Within the organic industry, there is debate as to whether organic foods should be sold in large supermarkets like Whole Foods and Wild Oats, or whether it would be more socially responsible for farmers to sell their organic items only locally. Proponents of strictly local distribution assert that the organic movement is part of a larger movement designed to undermine the consumer's reliance on large corporations. Supporters of the industrial model of organic farming argue that organic food prices will drop as these items are included in the larger corporate framework, thereby making organic foods available to more people.
"I think having organic foods more widely available in supermarkets is an exciting opportunity for organic farmers," junior Elizabeth Halperin said. "This step will allow for more people to embrace a healthier, more organic lifestyle."
A three-day Harvest Food Festival sponsored by TFAP will take place Oct. 19-21. On the first day, a screening of the film "Supersize Me" will be shown in Barnum 008. TFAP also hopes to arrange a discussion led by Morgan Spurlock, the director of "Supersize Me," after the screening on the 19.On Oct. 20, there will be a walk to the Davis Square Farmer's Market and a panel discussion featuring a fair trade farmer and Tufts faculty on agriculture and trade.
Then, on Oct. 21, a Harvest Food Festival will take place in Carmichael, Dewick, and the campus center with organic/natural food vendors, and a menu featuring locally grown produce.
