| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52.28 |
| Liaison | Jamie Jacquart |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2021 |
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
IN-48: Innovation B
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 0.50 |
Kirby
Roberts Director of Marketing & Catering Dining Services |
Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Northeastern University, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and Eastern Connecticut State University are making a substantial commitment to tackling this food system challenge. The institutional partners have committed that 75% of all fish served on each campus will be locally sourced. To get there, the campuses will work with their food service manager, Chartwells, as well as community partners Ipswich Fish, the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, Red’s Best, Farm Fresh Rhode Island, the New Bedford Port Authority, and Buyers & Sellers Seafood Auction (BASE) to identify abundant yet underutilized local fish and improve the sourcing and purchasing systems that will incorporate these fish species onto campus menus.
The project is led by The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and launched during the fall semester of 2019 and will continue until Summer 2022.
A goal of the project is to raise awareness of the unique challenges of local fishermen, similar to the recent increased understanding of the challenges faced by local farmers brought about by the Farm-to-Table movement.
This year the schools collaborating on the prize hope to educate their communities about the importance of supporting the local fishing economy while also promoting the use of underutilized and abundant species in their dining halls.
And so far, this vision has been a success. The UMass Dining Services Team reported that they have had positive reactions from the campus community after using underutilized fish such as scup, monkfish, red fish, and dogfish on their menus for the 2018-2019 school year. To better connect the participating campus communities with local fishermen like Feeney, UMass Dartmouth has partnered with the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center. New Bedford is the nation’s largest fishing port and is only 15 minutes from the UMass Dartmouth campus. Another project being planned in partnership with the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is an educational program for UMass Dartmouth students to bring the stories of the fishermen to K-12 school children. This program aims to both further educate the local community about the fishing industry in New England, and to further the understanding of the UMass Dartmouth students.
A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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