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Real Food Challenge

A Look Inside the Food Service Industry

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Thu, 06/30/2011 - 15:28
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Students on countless campuses are working to get their schools and dining halls to match their values. Whether that means supporting local farmers or ensuring that cafeteria workers can honestly support their families, building a just food system is critical for our health, our economy and our communities.

 
But behind the buffet lines and café counters on college campuses across the world lurks a massive industry. You’ve heard the names: Sodexo, Aramark, Chartwells, Bon Appetit, Parkhurst... In order to be successful in our organizing efforts, we all need to have a solid understanding of how the industry works and how we might best impact it. 
 
Well, now is your chance to learn the basics through a workshop curriculum developed jointly by UNITE HERE’s Stir It Up Campaign and the Real Food Challenge! You can download the curriculum here, and if you want, a helpful powerpoint to go with it. 
 
This workshop covers a variety of topics, including a run-down of the major companies involved in outsourced food service, universities’ relationship to those companies and major problems in the industry ranging from worker rights to the organization of the food service supply chain. 
 
The best part, though, explains why students are in the perfect position to change the entire food system, starting right on campus. 
 
For example, did you know that in 2008 in the United States alone, campus food service was an $18 billion industry? Or that campus food service brings in 32% of the total annual revenue for all outsourced food service in the United States? That’s more than food service at stadiums, commercial office buildings, industrial plants, or any other industry segment! (You can download a handout with this information here!)
 
We think facts like these are powerful and that’s why we made the curriculum for you to use with your campus or community group. 
 
We also know that if we are going to create the change we seek, we’ll need to keep building connections with each other. Real Food Challenge, a leading voice for students and youth seeking change in campus food service, and UNITE HERE, a labor union with thousands of members in the food service industry, collaborated to create this curriculum because we share the belief that a truly just food system not only creates food that sustains our bodies and communities but also jobs where workers are treated with dignity and respect.
 
If you want to get more involved in our campaigns, or if you have questions about using the workshop curriculum on your own, please contact us! You can reach David Schwartz from the Real Food Challenge at david [at] realfoodchallenge.org or Kyle Schafer from UNITE HERE at kschafer [at] unitehere.org. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you!
 
 

Download the curriculum.  Download the powerpoint.

 

"Unity. Community. Movement."

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Mon, 02/28/2011 - 12:58
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On Friday night, the youth leading the Real Food Challenge’s Northeast Food and Justice summit stood up in front of hundreds of people and kicked off an incredible weekend with a simple theme. In between giant icebreakers, stretches, step lessons and poetry performances, the youth leaders had everyone in the room repeat the theme aloud over and over again. 

“Unity. Community. Movement.”
 
Days later those three words are still resonating. They are three words that describe the conference perfectly and simply, and what strikes me most is that the word “food” doesn’t count among them. 
 
Yes, over the three days we talked a whole lot about food. But anyone expecting a conference full of a new generation of snobby “foodies” who only want high-quality food for themselves would have been sorely out of place. This conference was about changing the world for everyone by creating a food system that works for everyone – from farmworkers and dining workers who deserve a fair wage to high school students who deserve a healthy meal. It was about food, sure, but at its core it was about a whole lot more than that. 
 
Honestly I felt honored just to be part of it. In the Stir It Up workshop, “Worker Leadership in the Fight for Sustainable Food,” worker leaders from UNITE HERE Local 35 at Yale talked about their own struggle to keep good food in their dining halls. Many years ago, to protest fresh baked goods being replaced with packaged ones, the Yale dining workers held a taste test in the middle of campus. They won. Much more recently, when Yale started an expansive sustainable food program, the workers figured out how to make it practical for them too. The program couldn’t work without their input. I could barely keep track of all the hands up from workshop participants wanting to understand the worker perspective and remarkably eager for advice on how to involve workers in sustainable food projects at their own school. In other workshops we attended that day, such as ones put on by Slow Food USA, the Student/Farmworker Alliance and the Food Chain Workers Alliance, the energy seemed just as high. 
 
On the third and final day, the conference closed by recognizing the love that went into the meals prepared for us over the weekend and by talking about youth in the Civil Rights movement who also changed our world. I think to most of the people in the room, those weren’t two different topics. I don’t know if the food movement is the next big movement that will radically change our society, but after this weekend, I feel like it could be.

 

Talking Real Food, From Illinois to California

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Thu, 02/24/2011 - 13:56
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I could get used to this.
 
Last weekend was another great one for campus dining workers connecting with the college and youth movement for real food. Stir It Up and UNITE HERE worker leaders were at the Strengthening the Roots Convergence in Santa Cruz and the Midwest Real Food Summit in Chicago, making friends and building the kinds of bridges we’ll need to build a food system that works for all of us.
 
Though I can’t speak for my colleagues who attended the CA convergence, my highlight from the Midwest summit was just listening to cooks in our union sit back and really talk about food. One of the workers talked about his cooking as an art, another about how she goes out of her way for good, fresh ingredients when she cooks at home. If you’ve never talked to the dining workers at your school about their craft, you’re probably missing out on some of the most impassioned commentary on food on all of campus. 
 
The summit’s other workshops made for a full couple of days, and despite complications of a winter storm, everyone attending seemed determined and inspired to go back to their own campus and really start to change the food system. 
 
Of course, that means I left inspired as well, and can’t wait to continue to deepen the connections between dining workers and the movement to bring real food into the kitchens they so proudly run. 
 
Next stop: Boston. If you’re going to be at the Northeast Food and Justice Youth Summit or the Coalition of Immokalee Workers actions Feb 27 in Boston or March 4 and 5th in Tampa, let us know – we’d love to see you there!


 

Stir It Up Goes to Arizona

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Thu, 02/17/2011 - 18:12
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[Editor’s Note: This post comes from Alberto Ramirez, who has been working with UNITE HERE to stir things up on the West Coast.]
 
On Saturday February 12, 2011 I had the opportunity to present at the United Student for Fair Trade / Real Food Challenge Southwest Convergence. 
 
In the first Stir It Up workshop, sisters and brothers from Unite Here Local 631 and Central Arizonians for a Sustainable Economy (CASE) presented to students about a day in the life of a food service worker at the airport. Everyone in the workshop shared stories and made the connection that exploited food service workers, fair trade coffee and sustainable food in general are all connected in one struggle.
 
Later in the afternoon, we covered in more detail the food industry’s relationship with universities and the economic exploitation of workers who serve us our food at colleges across the United States. Students shared their personal stories and connections to the food service industry and we delved into the last part of our presentation - Building Community Across Counters – to talk about how students can help make change.
 
One story from a workshop participant really stuck with me. She had gone to culinary art school and invested $30,000 and worked hard to complete her courses and planned to have the American Dream in the food service industry as a cook. However, she is making 8 dollars an hour and has a heavy debt load. She was not asking for a hand out, nor did she want to be dependent on anyone. She worked hard and invested in her education and in our presentation she learned that some of the major food service providers make nearly $20 billion dollars in revenue annually,I saw her face and heard her anger and frustration when hearing those numbers in comparisons to her wages and the exploitation at the job. Now, she wants to do something about it.

I left Arizona motivated from seeing youth organizing for sustainable real food, youth who are also making the connection that no worker, no human being should be abused and dehumanized for trying to have the American Dream. Students have the opportunity to build relationships with workers, hear their stories, and begin the steps to fight for worker justice.

 

Join Us at the Real Food Summits!!

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Thu, 02/10/2011 - 14:46
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Over the next three weeks, our friends at the Real Food Challenge are leading summits all across the United States to bring together people fighting for justice in our food system. Stir It Up is honored to have the opportunity to present at four of the five summits, and we hope to meet you there!

This weekend, in Tempe AZ, we’ll kick it off as part of the United Students for Fair Trade / Real Food Challenge Southwest Convergence at Arizona State University. In workshop session one on Saturday, Feb 12, meet concessions workers from Phoenix’s airport to hear about what it is like to work in the food service industry. Later in the day, we’ll go over the basics of the campus dining industry and lead a training on Building Community Across Counters.
 
Next weekend, Feb 18-20, we’ll be in two places at once!  Find us at the Strengthening the Roots Convergence in Santa Cruz, CA and at the Midwest Real Food Summit near Chicago, IL. At both conferences, you’ll have a chance to talk with food workers about their experiences in the cafeterias and their fight for justice in the workplace.   We’ll also run down the campus dining industry and train students on how to start building a campus community inclusive of dining workers at their own school.
 
We’ll wrap up our tour at Northeast Food and Justice Youth Summit in Boston, Feb 25-27. In addition to the campus dining basics, Boston attendees will have a special opportunity on Saturday, Feb 26 to talk with campus dining workers from Yale who have played a critical role in making that school’s sustainable food program a success both for those who cook the meals and the students who eat them.
 
Then on Feb 27, we’ll hit the streets of Boston with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Student/Farmworker Alliance, joining farmworkers and other allies in the March to Stop Sweatshops in the fields.
 
It promises to be an exciting few weeks in the movement for real, sustainable and fair food. If you haven’t registered for any of these conferences yet, you may still have a chance! Check out Real Food Challenge’s central summit website for all the links you need.
 

 

 

Tools of the Trade Edition One: The RFP Process

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Mon, 11/29/2010 - 19:07
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Those of you who are familiar with Stir It Up, know that it isn't just a website, it's the embodiment of a philosophy.  Like our friends at the Student Farmworker Alliance and the Real Food Challenge, we believe that college students have a unique ability to fight for progressive change in the food service industry.  The more students who insert themselves in campus food-related decisions, the greater the potential that we'll see justice in the food system.

With that in mind, Stir It Up will be unrolling a series of handouts with crucial information about the higher education food industry.  Tools of the Trade, Edition 1 (available for download) features information about the Request for Proposals (RFP) process, which is an invitation for companies to bid on a university contract:

Though it is far from assured that an RFP for the food service operation will be issued while you are an active student (many food service contracts are for far longer than four years), if it does happen, the RFP process is an invaluable opportunity to influence your university's food service operation.  Do not be discouraged if you do not have this opportunity, however, because there are plenty of other ways to get involved (many of which will be featured in the Tools of the Trade series). 

If you are interested in seeing when your school's food service contract expires, check our contract database to see if we have a copy.  If not (and you attend a public school) take a look at our Freedom of Information Act guide to learn how to obtain a copy of your school's food service contract (or you can let Heidi Heidi High-Tops guide you).

CFSC Conference: An Executive Summary

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Thu, 10/21/2010 - 08:43
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I had another great day at the Community Food Security Coalition conference in New Orleans.  My biggest regret: I didn't make it out of the French Quarter to the non-tourist neighborhoods.  Word is, that's where you get authentic New Orleans cuisine.  (Locals aren't caught dead eating the French Quarter...god I hate being a tourist).

Anyway, the conference was packed and was a tremendous success.  I'm not the only person who thought so.  Here are some links from the blogosphere/newsosphere with other takes on the event for those who wanted to go but couldn't make it for whatever reason:

The CFSC has another event in Portland this coming Spring, the National Conference on State and Municipal Food Policy.  Click here if you're interested in learning more.  Also, college students who are interested in these issues should check out the Real Food Challenge and Slow Food on Campus, two other great organizations fighting for positive change in university food service.

Food, Culture, Justice: Day 1 at the Community Food Security Coalition Conference

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Sun, 10/17/2010 - 20:59
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When I walked past the Canal Street McDonald's last evening without buying a Big Mac (which I have to admit, I sometimes crave), I knew that the day's events had had an impact on me.  After a day of learning of injustices of all types in the food system--many of them the result of corporate power in the industry--there was no way I could bring myself to order a double cheeseburger without feeling ashamed of myself (instead, I felt temporarily hungry, which is preferable IMO). 

The event in question was an annual conference--Food Culture Justice--organized by the Community Food Security Coalition.  And my first day at the conference, which is taking place in New Orleans, was a tremendous experience.  

Creating alliances within the food movement increases the movement's strength exponentially.  So, when farmworkers' rights advocates link up with food service workers rights' advocates, who link up with sustainability advocates and local farming advocates, what you get is a beautiful thing: the ability to take on entrenched powers who would prefer that we all mind our business so that the food system remains the same.

The conference was filled with representatives from great organizations: The Food Chain Workers Alliance, Food First, the Restaurant Opportunities Center, the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, the National Family Farm Coalition and the Real Food Challenge, just to name a few.  

The event continues today.  So stay tuned for live tape-delayed updates from New Orleans.

Real Food Challenge Summer Happenings!

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Thu, 07/08/2010 - 16:23
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We here at Stir It Up would like to congratulate our friends at the Real Food Challenge on winning the Echoing Green Fellowship. Check out the exciting announcement here.
 
If you are interested in getting involved with the Real Food Challenge as they continue their exciting work, we encourage you to attend one of their leadership conferences this summer. In RFC’s own words,
 
“Each event will feature a unique series of workshops ranging from storytelling as an organizing tool and ‘power, privilege and oppression in the food system,’ to ones on campaign planning and how to shift campus food systems.  All participating teams will leave with a full action plan for the school year.
 
These trainings are much more than workshops: we'll cook and eat delicious meals together, visit and work with local food justice organizations, do all sorts of outdoor activities and (of course) have dance parties!  Everyone walks away with new friends, allies, concrete skills, and the real tools needed to revolutionize our food system!”
 
The trainings will be in Orlando (Aug. 11-15), Boston (Aug. 19-22), Atascadero, California (Aug. 26-29) and North Carolina (Sept. 4-6). For all the info you need, check out the Real Food Challenge web page about the events.

 

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