Food Services' relationship with local agriculture was probed by two groups from Science, Technology and Society 135 (Politics of Scarcity). They didn't like what they found.

Food travels an average of 873 miles to get to a Penn State plate, they discovered, and nearly none of the food comes from Centre County.

"Transporting food across the country causes pollution," Eric Wolfinger (sophomore-mechanical engineering) said. "We feel it's important to know where your food comes from."

Lisa Wandel, associate director of Food Services, said that the distance food must travel to get to Penn State isn't one of the factors they consider before buying it. Food Services decides the menu, then buys from whomever offers the lowest bid for the ingredients they need, she said.

Bids from local farmers are welcome and sometimes win. For example, Wandel said, it makes financial sense to buy local apples in September.

"But apples in January? I don't think so," she said. "It has to depend on the time of the year."

Wandel noted some foods, like dairy products and mushrooms, come from Pennsylvania year-round.

"Our responsibility is to find the best value for our customers," she said. "I don't know how many students are willing to pay the extra price (for locally-grown food)."

Most students are interested in value, variety and quality, she said, not the geographic origin of the food.

"That doesn't seem to be the main interest of our customers," she said. "You have to have a good feel for what the majority of your customers want."

Jessica Friedrichs (senior-sociology) wishes students would consider from where their food comes. Too many people come to State College for only four years and take the local environment for granted, she said.

"It's really about dwelling in the place, not just residing there," she said.

She thinks that as a land-grant university, Penn State should promote local agriculture.

Relying more on local farms would reduce pollution, improve the taste of food and help connect students to where they live, said Jessica Moist (junior-sociology).

"We just feel that our campus has the capability to be more sustainable," she said.

After working on the class project, Wolfinger went to the Food Services office to meet with Wandel, where the two of them put their heads together.

"They were really cooperative," Wolfinger said. "We realized it was pretty unfeasible to have local food all the time."

Instead, they came up with a preliminary plan with Food Services to offer a day featuring only locally grown food in the dining halls.

"We're hoping to do a Pennsylvania dinner in the fall," Wandel said. It would be a nice welcome for out-of-state students, she added.