Local Food at Health Care Partners

CCAP health care partners are going local with their food purchasing. From working through food supplier Sodexo to one-on-one procurement with local producers, health care partners are serious about buying local.

 



Three CCAP health care partners are working with Sodexo to purchase food through more local vendors. Sodexo is tracking purchase locality by asking vendors that sell to Sodexo to provide data on purchases within CCAP zip codes. Once this baseline data on purchase locality is available, Sodexo will seek to add more local vendors in different purchasing categories.

 

Other partners are working with individual local vendors to secure food purchases. HealthPartners is now buying from Urban Organics located on the east side of Saint Paul. This year-round supplier of fresh produce is proving a good fit for serving several smaller HealthPartners hospitals. HealthPartners look to supply other locations within its network through Urban Organics, and may also begin purchasing fish from the vendor.

 

HealthEast purchasing staff are in talks with The Good Acre, a non-profit food hub. The supplier is located in the Central Corridor and provides facilities, warehouse space, transportation assistance, cooler and freezer storage space, and wholesale distribution to low-income, immigrant independent farmers.