The Local Harvest Initiative at UNH 
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Local, regional, and sustainable food
The Local Harvest Initative is a growing partnership of UNH Dining, University Office of Sustainability, and local producers. Through the Local Harvest Initiative, UNH Dining is committed to serving locally, regionally, and sustainably grown, produced, and manufactured items to the greatest extent possible. Many of these items are included regularly in the dining halls and campus retail outlets, and others are purchased for special events such as the annual Local Harvest Feast. The sustainability commitment of UNH Dining is part of the university’s broader Food & Society Initiative, which commits UNH to being a sustainable food community that promotes healthy food systems from farm to fork to health and nutrition outcomes.
Serving locally and regionally grown, produced, and manufactured items ensures that the food served is the freshest possible while helping to support our local economy, a vibrant regional agricultural infrastructure, and a healthy food system. We look for farms and food producers or manufacturers located within a 250 mile radius from UNH. Additional criteria that UNH Dining considers in its purchasing decisions include:
- USDA Certified Organic: This certification indicates that specific production and handling practices were taken for the applicable food items. Producers must apply for certification annually, and producers' operations are inspected annually to ensure that all criteria are being met properly. Examples of USDA Certified Organic foods served on campus include vegetables from the UNH Organic Garden Club, Stonyfield Farm yogurt, and Abigail's Bakery bread.
- Fair Trade Certified: Fair Trade Certified "guarantees consumers that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of an agricultural product. Fair Trade Certification is currently available in the U.S. for coffee, tea and herbs, cocoa and chocolate, fresh fruit, flowers, sugar, rice, and vanilla. TransFair USA licenses companies to display the Fair Trade Certified label on products that meet strict international Fair Trade standards." (from TransFair USA) Examples of Fair Trade Certified foods served on campus include Green Mountain coffee and Omar coffee.
- Certified Humane: Certified Humane means that producers meet "the Humane Animal Care Program standards, which include nutritious diet without antibiotics, or hormones, animals raised with shelter, resting areas, sufficient space and the ability to engage in natural behaviors." (from Certified Humane) UNH serves Pete & Gerry's eggs on campus, which are Certified Humane.
- Consideration is also given to other claims, including cage free, free range, grassfed, and rBST-free.
From which farms, producers, and manufacturers does Dining purchase food?
Approximately 22% of Dining's budget is spent on items grown, processed, or manufactured locally and regionally (within a 250 mile radius of UNH). Check out the list of featured Local Harvest Vendors!
UNH Dairy Bar: Local - Sustainable - Fresh
In the summer of 2008, Dining opened a revamped UNH Dairy Bar featuring local foods, nutritious and delicious menu, and sustainable operations. From local foods to energy efficient appliances to compostable to-go containers, the Dairy Bar features sustainability at its most delicious. Find out more...
Annual Local Harvest Feast
This ever-popular annual feast - which won the Bronze Medal in the 2007 Loyal E. Horton Award Competition for a Large School Theme Dinner from the National Association of College & University Food Services - features local foods and gourmet dining at the UNH Durham campus dining halls. In addition, displays by featured farmers, businesses, and organizations are set up each year for guests to peruse and learn more about our local food system. Held each September, the Local Harvest Feast attracted approximately 1,600 diners in its first year (2005), 1,900 diners in 2006, 3,700 in 2007, and 7,000 in 2008! The 2009 event was held on Wednesday, September 23rd and featured a local breakfast at Stillings Dining Hall, a local lunch at Philbrook Dining Hall, and local dinner at Holloway Commons. Over 7,700 diners enjoyed the 2009 feast! Click here to view the menu! To read the press release, click here.
Vegetarian and vegan options
UNH offers vegetarian and vegan options in each dining hall. Daily menus, including interactive nutritive analysis, are available online.
Finding local foods around UNH
Want to go apple picking? Visit a farmers' market? Dine at restaurant featuring local foods on its menu? This list will get you started!
- Seacoast Harvest Guide
- Seacoast Growers' Association
- Valley Food and Farm Guide
- NH Made
- NH Virtual Farmers' Market
- NH Farm to Restaurant Connection
- NH Farmers' Market Guide
- NH Farm Stand Directory
UNH Compost Program
The UNH Compost Program is program run by University Hospitality Services and the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture. Since the program was began in 1998, over half a million pounds of food waste have been diverted from the waste stream and composted. The finished product is sold by the bag at community outlets and used by the UNH Organic Garden Club. Approximately 25,000-40,000 pounds of pre- and post-consumer food waste are diverted from the UNH dining halls per month through the composting program. All UNH dining halls have installed food pulpers to pulverize food waste into small bits and extract liquid, a process that helps to facilitate the composting process. Since summer 2006, University Hospitality staff has been managing the food waste collection and drop off at UNH’s Kingman Farm, home of the compost windrows.
Recycling and waste reduction
- Dining Services has a comprehensive recycling program including glass, plastic, cardboard, cans, and paper.
- Dining reuses or recycles used equipment during renovations whenever possible.
- Dining serves about 80% of its food in its three dining halls, at which they use china and flatware.
- The Marketplace at Stillings Dining Hall and Elements at Philbrook Dining Hall are "trayless", helping to decrease food waste.
- Many of the disposable products used by dining are eco-friendly, including eco-friendly “clamshells,” paper cups, compostable to-go containers, and more.
- Dining engages in waste reduction education in the dining halls, including displays and information tables encouraging students to minimize food waste.
- Dining services offers beverage discounts for using reusable mugs; mugs are distributed free to incoming freshmen.
Energy use and equipment
UNH Dining has partnered with Purchasing and the Energy Office to identify and purchase ENERGY STAR and other efficient equipment. To date, implemented measures include low-flow faucets and more efficient lighting. Buildings are also automated for energy use. Air-cooled refrigeration is used almost exclusively, as opposed to water-cooled which reduces water usage. To support the Green Certified Cleaning Program, Dining utilizes non-caustic washing chemicals and other environmentally friendly cleaning products provided by EcoLogic. During the summer of 2007, UNH Dining installed a new dishwasher in Philbrook Dining Hall that will reduce water usage by 60% or more. UNH Dining has replaced 17 traditional urinals with waterless urinals that will eventually save an estimated 765,000 gallons of water per year and $20,000 in annual water and sewer costs. Because the new urinals eliminate flush valves, maintenance costs are also reduced. Read more.
Get involved!
There are lots of ways to get involved in our food community at UNH!
- Dual Major in EcoGastronomy: A complement to any primary major, the Dual Major in EcoGastronomy integrates sustainable agriculture, hospitality management, and health and nutrition.
- Download the Eat Good, Do Good Campus Guide and get lots of information on how to get involved on campus and beyond!
- Join a student organization: The Organic Garden Club, Slow Food Campus Convivium, and the Student Nutrition Association offer direct farm and food opportunities.
- Keep an eye on the calendar: The University Office of Sustainability calendar is a great source for finding out what food system-related events are coming up!
- Learn more and help raise awareness: Check out these links to find out more about our food system.
