Local: Vermont First aligns with the state of Vermont definition, which defines “local” food as foods grown or manufactured in Vermont.
Regional: Vermont First aligns with the Farm to Institution New England (FINE) definition, of “regional” food as food grown, raised, or harvested within the six New England states plus a 50-mile buffer.
Leanpath: Technology our staff uses to weigh and track pre-consumer food waste from our kitchens. Data is used to make strategic decisions about menu and volume forecasting and staff training.
Diverse Suppliers: Tier 1*: Vendors we purchase from directly (i.e. Black River Produce and Intervale Food Hub)
Tier 2: Producers that our Tier 1 Vendors buy from (i.e. Butterworks Farm, Miller Milk, Global Village Foods, and more)
*Currently only tracking Tier 1 Diverse Spend, due to limited data available from our distributors.
