Extension > Family > Farm to School > Minnesota Toolkit for School Foodservice > Sourcing Food > Sourcing Cheese
Sourcing Cheese
Finding Local Food
- Local Foods Partnership online searchable database through the University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships. It includes a wide range of food products from farmers mostly in northwest, western, and central Minnesota.
- The Minnesota Grown wholesale database lists Minnesota farmers interested in selling their products to schools. You can search online by product type and by region.
- The Land Stewardship Project has a Farm Directory for schools looking to purchase sustainably raised foods.
- Food Alliance Midwest is a national organization that certifies farmers who follow sustainable farming practices. Contact Bob Olson, the director of Food Alliance Midwest, for assistance in finding farmers: 651-265-3682
- Pride of the Prairie farmers have experience in selling to retail food buyers. For assistance in finding farmers, contact Terry VanDerPol: 320-269-2105.
Regulations on Buying Cheese Directly from Farmers
Minnesota state laws require farmers selling cheese to have a food handler's license and an inspected and approved cheesemaking facility. Some farmers in the state do have this.
There are cheesemakers who purchase milk from local farmers, and some farmers have contracts with dairy facilities in their area to produce cheese for them. Any cheese produced at a licensed and inspected facility can be purchased by schools.
Food Buying Guide Specifications
Reference: Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service
Food As Purchased (How the Product Can Be Purchased) |
PurchaseUnit(How You Should Order the Product) |
Servings per Purchase Unit(How Many Servings You Will Get Per Purchase Unit) | Serving Size per Meal Contribution(For Each Meal Component Category) |
Amount Needed to Buy of the Purchase Units for 100 Servings |
Additional Information(AP = As Purchased) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cheese, Natural |
Pound Pound |
16.0 Servings 8 Servings |
1 oz. cheese 2 oz. cheese |
6.3 Pounds 12.6 Pounds |
1 pound AP = about 4 cups shredded cheese 1 pound AP = about 2 cups cubed cheese |
Contact Farm to School Extension: 
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