December 3, 2020 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:

How can New England institutions better leverage their influence to support local seafood and seafood producers? With the nation’s top dollar fishing port in New Bedford, why do we not see more local fish on the menu at colleges and other institutions? Can our institutional supply chains take advantage of underutilized species to help address these issues?

UMass Dartmouth and Farm to Institution New England welcome you to attend an online Sea Summit focused on these questions. Join us for an engaging panel and stakeholder dialogue, where speakers will share how a team of colleges and supply chain partners tackled these issues through a 2018 New England Food Vision Prize from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation. Learn more about the challenges and opportunities of producing and sourcing farmed kelp and underutilized fish species in New England. Speakers will also share how they worked to bring underutilized species into community and university dining programs, even with the added challenges presented by a global pandemic.

The goal of the Sea Summit is to educate and unite anyone who is interested in: local and sustainable purchasing, procurement, food service operations, supply chains, and sustainable seafood. This event will highlight the importance of local food initiatives, and encourage restaurants, hospitals, schools, colleges, and universities to help our region produce at least 50% of our food by 2060.

About the New England Food Vision Prize

The New England Food Vision Prize was designed by the Henry P. Kendall Foundation to accelerate progress towards the New England Food Vision, a bold vision that calls for our region to produce at least 50% of our food by 2060, while supporting healthy food for all, sustainable farming and fishing, and thriving communities.

Registration details coming soon.

Questions? Contact Kirby Roberts, kroberts1@umassd.edu.