Procuring Local Foods

Local foods add variety and flavor to menus across the country. From wild huckleberries in Montana to Native American grown wild rice in Minnesota, the United States has an abundance of delicious and sustainable homegrown food options. Providing locally sourced food options on the menu can help you appeal to visitors who want a dining experience that is unique and authentic to the region. The National Park Service (NPS) Healthy Food Choice Standards and Sustainable Food Choice Guidelines encourages concessioners to provide local, seasonal products and ingredients to their consumers.

What is considered local?

A food product that is raised, produced, aggregated, stored, processed, and distributed in the locality or region in which the final product is marketed is considered a local food product.

Finding local foods

Concessioners can find a variety of local food vendors through online resources like the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Local foods produced by Native Americans can be found through the Intertribal Agriculture Council.In addition, concessioners can look for local food cooperatives by using maps curated by Food for Change. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) provides a national directory for finding farmers markets, community supported agriculture (CSA), food hubs, and on-farm markets. Attending on-farm markets and food hubs can help concessioners identify and build partnerships within the community. Local foods include more than just produce, meat and dairy products can also be sourced locally. A Greener World provides a national map of sustainable products including beef, eggs, dairy products, and baked goods.

Locally sourced food is environmentally friendly

The use of local produce and food products can help concessioners lower their carbon footprint. The energy used to transport food via planes, trucks, and ships contributes almost 250,000 tons of greenhouse gases into the air annually. Local sourcing can support concessioners' ability to procure sustainable items as required in some contracts despite broader supply chain disruptions. Due to less travel, local foods arrive faster and fresher. Large industrial food processing plants can have higher risk of food-borne illness leading to mass recalls, waste, and public health concerns. Local small scale food production is typically safer for consumers in comparison to large food processing plants.

Locally sourced food helps the local economy

Purchasing local food helps concessioners build connections with the local community. Since buying locally often means working directly with the source, concessioners can expect shorter supply chains which can help save time, money, and resources for both parties involved. The American Independent Business Alliance found that $100 spent at local independent businesses generated $45 of local spending, compared to $14 for large chains.

Learn more

To learn more about locally sourced food procurement, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has resources for each state. Also, review the NPS Healthy Food Choice Standards to see how you can make your menu healthier for visitors while meeting contract requirements for healthy food options.