PORTLAND — A group of Maine food producers and organizations is pressing the University of Maine System to serve more locally grown food to students and staff.

The group, called Maine Food for the UMaine System, is asking the university system to commit to purchasing a minimum of 20 percent Maine food by 2020. It also wants the system to purchase 20 percent “real food,” which they define as local or community-based, fair, ecologically sound or humane. The group is made up of organizations including the Maine Farmland Trust and Environment Maine.

Its recommendations come as the UMaine system prepares to search for a new food contract vendor this month.

The system’s 10-year, $12.5 million annual contract with Aramark will soon expire. That contract covers all of the campuses except the Orono campus, which runs its own food service.


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