The Real Food Challenge is a national initiative to increase the proportion of “real food” in schools. Real food is food that falls in one of the qualifiers: local, eco sound, humane, or fair trade. Also, real food should not fall into any of the dis-qualifiers such as genetically modified organisms, concentrated animal feeding operations. More detailed information about the real food standard is available at the Real Food Challenge website.
IU started looking through its real food status since 2014. The current proportion of real food at IU is 6.81 percent. Officials say that most of that 6.81 percent fall in the local category. IU Dining’s goal is to increase the proportion of real food to 25 percent by 2025.
The Real Food Challenge is currently limited to IU Dining only. To raise the Real Food Challenge to a whole-school movement, Angela Babb, a postdoctoral research fellow of the Ostrom Workshop, says that student support is essential. “What we really need is student support. We need to demonstrate to administration that this is important. That fair, equitable, sustainable, humane food system is important to each and every one of us,” she said. Students can sign a petition to show support to the Real Food Challenge.
@SustainIU will be hosting real food sampling across campus this semester, where YOU will be able to try, then buy some delicious local, ecological, and humanely produced food! #ohkaleyeah #tacoboutfood #guacmyworld #sustainiu #trythenbuy #realfoodIU #realfood #iubloomington pic.twitter.com/Qz3GQXxA0A
— Sustain IU (@SustainIU) January 20, 2019
To increase campus awareness of The Real Food Challenge, Sustain IU and IU Dining are holding sampling event where students can try real food produced by local vendors such as Fischer Farms. Locations can be found at the Sustain IU Tweeter page.
IU Dietitian Rachel Noirot says that she hopes that the Real Food Challenge will increase student awareness of real food. “Students are interested in it, which is what we are so excited about. That they are wanting to think about where their foods come from and value Indiana products, or fair-trade products,” she said.
Officials say that the Campus Farm will also play a role in The Real Food Challenge. Officials say that the food produced from the Campus Farm are considered as real food. The first harvest of kale from the Campus Farm was served through Indiana Memorial Union recently. Because the size of the Campus Farm is limited to 3 acres, the food supply will not be enough to serve every person on campus. However, officials say that the Campus Farm will take an important role in educating students about the importance of sustainable food systems.
For more information, visit the Sustain IU website.