With the school year quickly approaching, Native Maine Produce & Specialty Foods continues to promote a simple philosophy: Maine students should be eating Maine grown food.

Our farm outreach program Wicked Fresh Connect™ works with Maine farmers to promote local sustainability, education and community partnerships by teaching local institutional food buyers that a “Farm to Cafeteria” (FTC) program is beneficial to them.

Maine farmers, Maine’s economy and Maine students all succeed when Maine grown/processed food is served to Maine students. A well managed FTC program can also have a positive impact on the finances of these budget stricken buyers as well.

On August 4th, Native Maine will promote Maine grown food for students by exhibiting at the Maine School Food Service Association’s (MSFSA) summer Conference, held August 4, 5, & 6 at Sunday River in Bethel. MSFSA is the primary source of child nutrition information where every school is represented and supported by a high level of leadership. As the states leading wholesale supplier of fresh fruit and vegetables to Maine schools, Native Maine will be encouraging Maine school food service directors to include Maine foods as part of their regular menu.

On August 5th, R. Troy Andrews, Marketing manager for Native Maine and the originator of Wicked Fresh Connect™ will be hosting a FTC round table discussion at The Maine College Dining Summit, held at St. Joseph’s College in Standish. This summit includes members of the Maine Campus Compact. This group is made up of various Maine college food service directors who share innovative and practical FTC concepts while learning about the successes and obstacles their local peers face.

Local food and its sustainability, security and economic responsibility are dining principles that Native Maine strongly supports. We support small local farms that are run by Mainers who live on their land and work hard to preserve it. Our mission is to encourage Maine’s school food-service buyers to adapt their menus to accommodate Maine’s seasonal produce. By participating in these educational programs we hope to grow Maine’s food system, thus sustaining Maine farms, advancing local economies and nurturing the states community with fresh locally produced food.