University Team Awarded $250,000 for Sustainable Food Solution

The University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI) was one-third of a team that won a 2019 New England Food Vision Prize Award.

UMPI, along with the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF), and Food Services Provider Sodexo were together one of only six teams to win the award. The $250,000 prize goes toward increasing the amount of locally sourced food on campus menus.

The New England Food Vision Prize is designed to progress forward towards the New England Food Vision, a concept that calls for the region to produce at least half of its food by 2060, while supporting healthy food for all, sustainable farming and fishing, and thriving communities.

The awards, given out by the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, are the culmination of a process where food service leaders from the New England region’s 200 college and university campuses are invited to participate. On Dec. 2, the Foundation announced six teams of winners representing 16 campuses. Each of the six teams of winners will receive an award of up to $250,000 to begin implementation of their project.