SLU Hosting First Midwest Dairy Sustainability Summit

03/19/2019

Les Dames d’Escoffier St. Louis and the Midwest Dairy Council will present the Midwest Dairy Sustainability Summit featuring a panel moderated by Whitney Linsenmeyer, Ph.D., of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, in the Allied Health Professions Building.

The summit features bi-state dairy farmers and opportunities to sample cheeses and ice cream.

Sustainability is on everyone's lips these days. Missouri and Illinois dairy families have demonstrated incredible progress in improving operational efficiency, reducing emissions, conserving water, setting high standards for animal health and promoting sustainable business practices.

“Dairy is a local food for Midwesterners,” Linsenmeyer said. “Typically when we talk about local food, people are thinking of fruits and vegetables. There are over 600 dairy farms in Missouri, and on average milk takes just 48 hours to travel from the dairy farm to our grocery stores.”

Through a panel and engaging discussions, summit attendees will learn how local dairy farmers, though faced with many challenges, continue improving environmental sustainability. Three of the most sustainable local family dairy farms, Marcoot Creamery, Scheer Farms and Donna Telle Farms, will be represented on the panel.

Top area dietitians will also add to the discussion, focusing on the important health benefits of dairy in our diets.

“Sustainable food systems are integral to the philosophy of our department,” Linsenmeyer said, citing SLU’s Teaching Garden off of Compton Avenue and its Fresh Gatherings Café, which uses locally-grown and raised foods. The SLU community, she continued, is active with local school gardens and dietetic interns from the University work with a number of area public schools to provide nutrition and gardening education.

The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics also runs a School Lunch Program that features locally grown food, including milk, feeding hundreds of local school children, and a Garden to Table Culinary Camp in January. The department’s annual Food Day also brings the wider St. Louis community SLU’s tables to celebrate local food.

Refreshments will include artisan cheeses from Marcoot, flash-churned liquid-nitrogen ice cream from Darla Crash of Ices Plain & Fancy and a dairy-centric menu item from the Saint Louis University pastry chef.

Tickets are $10 for students and $20 for the general public in advance.

Door tickets are $10 for students and $25 for general admissions.

Tickets are available here.