The southwest Iowa institutional foods survey

The survey was sent in the early summer of 2005 to a mailing list of 1,711 food vendors in a 10-county area, as identified through a license database provided by the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. The database was coded for tracking purposes to determine the type of food preparer and for the ability of the survey to be cross-referenced against the institutional market type. This coded reference had 11 different categories to include queries such as locally owned restaurant, hospital, school, nursing home, franchise restaurant, seasonal foods, grocery store, deli, etc. The initial portion of the four-page survey asked respondents to identify the institution's preference for organic, conventional or identity-preserved, locally grown foods and whether they would pay more for the identity-preserved/organically grown products.

The second part of the survey focused on actual food products and quantities that these various institutions might be interested in purchasing. While the data collection was finished earlier this fall, the data are still being profiled. At this point, of the 1,711 surveys mailed, 200+ had bad addresses, or were no longer in business. The response rate from those remaining was 29.5 percent and 35 institutions mailed back reply cards wanting direct contact about a locally grown foods program by an ISUE representative. The final survey report was due in November.

Steve Adams
Cooperative Extension Service - Iowa State University
Phone: 712.624.8616
Email: stadams@iastate.edu