MDARD’s Good Food for Michigan initiative to increase local food served to patients at Corewell Health
Corewell Health selected as the latest recipient of innovative ag effort to bring fresh Michigan-grown food to local institutions, schools
Grand Rapids, Mich. — Corewell Health Foundation West Michigan is the latest grant recipient of a new Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Department (MDARD) program focused on bringing more locally grown food to schools, hospitals and other institutions.
A grant of nearly $156,000 from the new Good Food for Michigan Project will help Corewell Health increase the amount of Michigan-grown and produced foods served to patients at three hospitals in St. Joseph, Ludington, and Grand Rapids. The investment will also help the organization further cultivate and strengthen partnerships with farmers in the region. Together, these three Corewell Health hospitals serve nearly 5 million meals per year, making them an important partner in expanding access to Michigan-grown foods.
“Local, fresh food supports better health outcomes for patients,” said Mick Rickerd, Corewell Health’s corporate executive chef. “This investment from the Good Food for Michigan Project will help our team serve more fresh, nutritious Michigan food to patients in Corewell Health communities. We also will be able to serve as a model for other hospitals to do the same and use what we learn to help other hospitals strengthen local food purchases and partnerships with Michigan farmers.”
The Good Food for Michigan Project, a partnership between MDARD, the Center for Good Food Purchasing, and Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, is the result of collaboration between state agriculture officials, farmers, and community groups.
“This partnership with Corewell Health will help Michigan demonstrate that we can serve fresh food to patients while supporting farmers here and our state economy as a whole,” said Dr. Tim Boring, the director of MDARD. “The Good Food for Michigan Project honors our state’s rich agricultural heritage and provides a framework for institutions, including hospitals and schools, to serve fresh, locally grown food.”
This project grant will not only connect Michigan farmers with patients at Corewell Health, it also will strengthen supply chains and model how other healthcare providers across the state can serve more locally grown food, said Melanie Tran, the Michigan Impact Manager at the Center for Good Food Purchasing.
“Our work with Corewell Health will allow us to assess how shifts to values-based purchasing can uplift agricultural communities while contributing public health benefits,” Tran said. “We will also help Michigan farmers who can provide food for these three Corewell hospitals and other facilities across the state to find footholds in new institutional markets and increase the amount of fresh food served to patients.”
Institutions that collaborate with Good Food for Michigan will work toward increased transparency in their food purchasing and procurement of food that is locally sourced, healthy, fair to farmers and workers, and produced using sustainable and humane practices.
“We are excited to be part of an initiative that will serve fresh and nutritious Michigan-grown food to patients at these Corewell Health hospitals,” said Lindsey Scalera, director of policy and leadership education for the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems. “This project stands to show that by strengthening local and regional food systems, we can increase access to fresh, healthy food throughout our communities while bolstering farmers and our economy across the state.”
The Good Food for Michigan Project complements other innovative MDARD programs focused on strengthening regional food systems. Additional information is on the Good Food for Michigan Project website.
