A new crop of ideals is growing at UF: buy locally, eat organic and care about where food comes from.
A farmers market was held at the Reitz Union North Lawn Monday as part of the first Florida Food Summit.
The farmers market attracted farmers, organizations, students and professors.
Farmers were able to sell locally and sustainably grown foods while explaining why organic farming is important.
“It’s great that the farmers here are actually here to talk to you,” said Tiffany Wu, a psychology junior. “It made it more personal. I definitely made it a point to walk through here today.”
Wu said she thinks organic food and eating healthy are important.
The farmers market was part of the UF Office of Sustainability’s Florida Food Summit, which ends today and gives students the chance to talk about the environment and the natural resources that go into the production of food, said Anna Prizzia, the director of the Office of Sustainability.
The office had a booth by the farmers market explaining how food is transported across the country. On average, food is transported 1,500 miles before people buy it, said Sarah Elbadri, an intern at the office.
Mordy Kramer, a vendor from Florida Fresh Beef, said it’s hard for a beef company to stay organic and sustainable.
“It’s totally different game because you’re not using growth hormones, so they’re not growing as fast,” Kramer said. “So you have to pretty much dedicate time and effort to every single cow. I want to change the world one steak at a time.”
There will be panels held on the second floor of the Reitz Union starting at 9:30 a.m. today and continuing until the keynote address begins at 7:30 p.m.
“The great thing about the program is that the panels are so different,” said Ashley Pennington, the outreach coordinator for the Office of Sustainability.
She said the panels include topics related to food’s relationship with ethics and religion.
There is also a panel discussing home gardening, Pennington said.
