Local Fish to Local Institutions

At Mass. Farm to School we see the work we do as part of a larger movement to build a vibrant local food system. A local food system is far stronger and more resilient than one that depends on long-distance travel and a lack of direct relationships between consumers and growers of food. The resiliency of a local foods system has rarely been more evident than in the wake of Hurricane Sandy when Massachusetts’ fishermen faced a crisis.

The fishermen, who had brought in large numbers of fish in advance of the storm, found themselves with an abundance of high quality product and no market. In New York, shuttered restaurants and shops battered by the storm were unable to place their regular orders. Faced with thousands of pounds of high quality, sustainably fished hake and pollock, Boston fishermen who sell through a network called Red’s Best, didn’t know how they would handle the disappearing demand. A traditional response would be to dramatically lower the price of the fish in hopes of finding a buyer. But the fishermen could not afford to suffer such a huge loss. They were determined to think creatively and find a better solution.

At this moment of greatest need, an alliance of organizations, businesses and institutions stepped in to turn this potential economic loss into an opportunity. Red’s Best contacted their local distributor, FoodEx, who in turn reached out to Mass. Farm to School to try to find a new home for the fish. We had a long list of potential customers to alert to the fishermen’s dilemma. Within hours, dining service directors at local colleges such as MIT and Harvard were placing orders for hundreds of pounds of fish to be served in dining halls that very weekend.

What this situation proved is the power of institutions to impact the local food system. With their sizeable purchases, colleges and institutions have the capacity to support the local farming and fishing community at a truly significant level. Students receive the highest quality, healthy foods and local farmers and fishermen stay in business. It’s a win-win. We will continue to work with Red’s Best and FoodEx to introduce more students in the Commonwealth to Massachusetts’ long tradition as a significant producer of fresh, healthy seafood. Later this month, students at Weston High School will be enjoying fish chowder from Red’s Best fishermen in their cafeteria and we hope more students will enjoy this local fish throughout the school year.