Norwich can sell processed food produce to other school districts

Norwich — The Norwich Public Schools’ farm-to-school food processing kitchen at the Thomas Mahan School is open for business, now that the rapidly expanding facility has obtained a food manufacturing license from the state Department of Consumer Protection.

The processing kitchen at Mahan became the first public school site to receive a food manufacturing license from the state agency’s food and standards division, spokeswoman Leslie O’Brien said.

Norwich should retain that unique status for a while, since no other applications are pending, O’Brien said.

Norwich launched the program through grants used to purchase equipment to take in large amounts of fresh produce, clean, process and freeze it for use in school cafeterias throughout the school year. The program launched with three partner

participating districts, Norwich, New London and Groton public schools.

But Norwich Food Services Director Erin Perpetua said the system had its limitations. Originally, partner districts had to purchase the produce from the farms, have it delivered to the Norwich kitchen for processing and then collect that same processed food.

Perpetua said she was unable to sell any excess produce processed and frozen in the Mahan School freezers to any other school district — even to partner districts.

“Before, I had all this stuff and couldn’t move it,” Perpetua said, sounding like a business CEO.

That changed on Sept. 20, when she received official approval of a food manufacturing license that allows the Norwich kitchen to sell its processed produce directly to school districts without the need for those districts to purchase the raw materials ahead of time.

That day, she called Groton Food Services Director Ernie Koschmieder and sold him 75 cases of frozen ears of corn and frozen cut-up summer squash. She even helped deliver it to Groton that evening.

Perpetua said she wanted to be sure she got the state license before she started marketing the program.

Last weekend, she talked to a representative from Stonington public school food services program about selling produce there.

“I could probably serve some smaller districts,” she said.

The packaging will look professional as well. Perpetua has discussed the best food packaging methods and packaging with an expert at the University of Kansas. The produce will be frozen in plastic bags and packaged in cardboard boxes stamped with a new “NPS Food Service Food Processing Kitchen” label featuring a color illustration of several vegetables. The label will give ingredients, weight, processed date and a batch number to indicate the farm of origin.

She cautioned that the program is “not cheap,” but it would bring local produce into the schools. A case of 50 shucked, cleaned and frozen ears of corn would cost a district $23.80. Twenty pounds or 120 servings of processed summer squash would cost $38, and 20 pounds of green beans, also about 120 servings, $38.

Koschmieder said the price is well worth it to bring fresh, local produce to school children, especially during the cold winter months when local farms have gone dormant. He also enjoys telling Groton families exactly where their children’s lunch vegetables and fruits are coming from.

“It is a great program,” Koschmieder said. “I wish more school systems will take advantage of the program. It’s helping our local economy right off the bat.”

In addition to purchasing food from the Norwich processing kitchen, Koschmieder also works directly with farms. This fall, he will purchase 350 cases of apples from Whittles Farm in Groton and expects to have a steady supply of fresh leaf lettuce through early November from Hunt’s Brook Farm in Waterford. “It’s gorgeous!” he said. Among the students’ favorites from the Norwich processing kitchen is the mashed, seasoned butternut squash, Koschmieder said.

“They love it,” he said. “I hear, ‘Can I have some more of that squash?’”