By Evan Peter '14
During the fall semester Siena students and Dan Detora, director of dining services, changed some of the food-purchasing habits of the College toward locally produced organic foods or real foods. Real foods are considered sustainable ethical production and are nourishing for the consumer, producer and community as well as the health of our planet.
"This initiative will make Siena College more sustainable and supportive of local businesses and farms," Shannon O'Neill, Ph.D., director of the Sr. Thea Bowman Center for Women said. "We hope to create a greater demand for these sorts of products and hope other campuses will join this national initiative."
Each week Siena has offered a local organic luncheon in Massry Commons, New Hall. Since the first week the number of faculty and students who attend has grown. "The quality of the food is great. However, the best part is it teaches us correct portion sizes and to ask where our food comes from," Catherine Espiritu '13 said.
The luncheons offer something different on the menu each week. Student servers help with the setup and cleanup to limit additional costs.
On October 24, National Food Day, the College organized a panel to speak about what real foods are and the benefits they offer. The panelists included representatives from Field Goods, Honest Weight Food Coop, Dan Detora and the Director of Sustainability at Union College. Gayle Anderson, founder of Honest Weight Coop remarked, "The Organic Luncheon is a great tool to raise awareness for wanting to buy real organic foods after students leave Siena too."
