A commitment to local food has earned the University of Guelph’s Hospitality Services the recognition of being named among five of Ontario’s Local Food Champions for 2012. The report celebrates efforts by the public sector to increase local food consumption.

Hospitality Services was credited for developing a department-wide sustainability plan aimed at supporting local farmers and raising awareness of the benefits of buying local.

Purchases of local produce at U of G increased to 45 per cent. Much of that food came from the Elmira Produce Auction Cooperative, which sells produce from 75 local farmers. Hospitality Services is also extending the shelf life of local produce by processing and preserving it to make it last longer.

To read the report, visit http://greenbelt.ca/sites/default/files/olfc_report_eng.pdf.