College students are demanding that schools purchase regional produce, AdAge reports. That’s forced major food-service companies to look for organic alternatives – and allowed regional rivals to enter the $5 billion on-campus-dining market.
Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, for example, has seen its college business grow about 30 percent to 43 schools in the past six years. The company attributes the growth to the launch of FarmSource, a pledge to source produce from within 125 miles.
But there are challenges when students, some of whom like to have bananas and strawberries all year long, call for organic changes. There’s also an adjustment period while students grow familiar to the taste, texture, and even color of some organic foods, according to the article.