Schools with a pre-paid board plan cannot recover costs above a certain predetermined level. For such schools, price can be a critical issue in local food buying efforts. To save money and time, Wisconsin food service directors tend to purchase local foods that require minimal preparation. Universities may not have the labor or equipment to process whole products available from local farms for example, they may not be able to peel and slice root crops. Distribution alternatives Parker found that alternative distribution channels, such as natural food distributors and farmer-owned marketing cooperatives, provide growers with opportunities for greater profits than the conventional marketing system provides.
Conventional distributors are unlikely to seek out local food for campus customers.
How food is delivered affects the college s costs and therefore local food buying decisions. Buying most products from a single distributor is cheaper than buying from many individual growers. In order to change campus food systems, student demand for local food must be cultivated and communicated to food service decision makers. Educational efforts promoting local food need to appeal to a diverse group of students, including students from farm families. Because vegetarian students most often make local food buying requests, schools typically seek out local vegetables and fruits.