Food & Dining

Food and Dining is a very important part of our sustainability efforts on campus. Whether it is our vegetarian and vegan dining options, or our growing inclusion of local foods into the menu, sustainability is beginning to become a very large part of our food culture. In addition to our dining halls, we also host a local farmers market every week in the fall semester.

Local Food

Buying local produce helps ensure the freshness of our food, boosts the local economy, and creates a connection with the community. In recognition of these facts, UAS and Chartwells have set a goal to purchase 25% of food for our dining halls from local suppliers, with a goal of having one-third of our food coming from local suppliers by 2013.

Some of the farms we currently work with:
Wertman Farm - Produce (Troy, NY)
Argo Farma - Chobani Yogurt (Amsterdam, NY)
Gillette Creamery - Ice Cream
Northeast Livestock Processing Service Company - Grass-fed Beef

Farmer's Market

Every week in the fall semester we host a local farmer's market, which features local produce from Altamont Orchards including, fruits, preserves, and fall themed foods such as hot cider donuts and apple cider. At the Fall Festival we feature an expanded Farmer's Market open to parents and students.

Links and Resources

For more information on sustainability efforts by Chartwells and their parent corporation click here.

For more information on local farmer's markets and community supported agriculture (CSA) check out these sites:

Farmer's Markets

Community Supported Agriculture

Community Supported Agriculture farms seek members who pay in advance for a season's worth of farm fresh products. This reduces the farmer's need to borrow money at the beginning of the season in order to purchase farm inputs, such as seeds, tools and fertilizers. It also assures the farmer of a market, which is one of the most difficult and risky aspects of farming for a living. Most CSAs use organic farm practices.