First Virginia nonprofit certified to deliver federal food safety trainings.

Sarah Chiles of Crown Orchard was stymied when she learned that within a few short years their century-old family business would have to meet new federal regulations for food safety. But after participating in Local Food Hub’s training, she knew just what she would have to do to comply.

In 2016, Local Food Hub became the first Virginia nonprofit to deliver a federal food safety training under the new regulations. Eighteen partner farms have participated in training so far, with many more to come. In addition to identifying on-farm modifications and helping with recordkeeping, Local Food Hub also offers cost assistance for voluntary on-farm food safety audits.

We’re also helping our farms achieve certifications that will help make their businesses more competitive. Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Certification is an industry-recognized standard that represents best practices in farming and food handling. Achieving GAP enables our growers to sell to more customers as large institutions and retailers are demanding more GAP-Certified products.

Connecting local farms with the UVA Health System and Student Dining.

In summer 2016, Polyface Farm in Augusta County found itself with an unexpected surplus of pasture-raised pork products. Meanwhile, the University of Virginia Health System was struggling to find a workable system for sourcing local products that meet its strict purchasing requirements. Local Food Hub put its infrastructure and experience to work, and delivered more than 7,000 pounds of pork products to the UVA Health System.

UVA Dining, which operates separately from the hospital, has also begun to incorporate Polyface pork sausage into their student dining menus. This has given Polyface Farm a consistent and reliable outlet for their pork, and alleviated their distribution and transportation burdens.

These are just the sorts of barriers Local Food Hub sought to break down when it was founded eight years ago, and we look forward to growing these relationships in the coming year.

Our Fresh Farmacy: Fruit and Veggie Prescription Program is a partnership with three area health clinics that “prescribes” patients a biweekly supply of fresh fruits and vegetables, grown by our partner farms. The prescriptions include recipes and educational programs that help to encourage home cooking and develop familiarity with new foods, and seeks to develop a culture of healthy eating.

Now entering its third year, Fresh Farmacy has made remarkable changes in the health and lifestyles of many of the 90 patients it serves. In 2016, 75% of patients lowered their blood pressure and/or reduced body weight. Patients reported a change in clothing to smaller sizes, feeling more energized, a desire to take their health to the next level and add more exercise and other healthy habits, and a change in tastes to prefer fresh, healthy foods over less healthy, fried foods. The program benefitted entire households and patients reported their children, significant others, and other family members taking part in helping to make healthy choices, prepare home cooked meals, and learn more about healthy eating.

Our work with public and private schools seeks to educate the next generation of healthy eaters, and to get students excited about food, nutrition, and farming.

During Virginia Farm to School Week in October, farmers come into the cafeteria to chat with students, like the cattle farmer that raised the grass-fed ground beef used in their tacos, or the orchardist that oversaw the rows of Pink Lady Apples that are now slices on their lunch trays, or the grape grower that hand-pruned the grapes they are having for morning snack. When students have the opportunity to taste a product and learn about it, they are more likely to make healthy decisions in the future.

Just like when elementary students in Charlottesville City learned about apple cider. We played a game with students where they had to guess what ingredients were in the cider. Many guessed sugar, juice, or water, and were shocked to learn it was made from just apples. They were amazed to learn something so simple could taste so good!