RESEARCH & DISCOVERY
• Frontier Food Group (FFG): FFG is an entity that typically works with chain restaurants to create and build specifications for custom food products. With FFG, the Alliance worked to create our own chicken products that meet detailed specifications. In a conversation with Frontier Food Group’s Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Rick Garcia, summarized his thoughts on the overall success of the project: “Trying to get an organization, as big as the membership of the Alliance, is a major upheaval and major challenge. The fact that we were able to get to a pilot, to go to testing, to get eight districts to agree to the project was phenomenal, quite frankly.” He continued, “although there were some hiccups here and there, which you are always going to have - that’s why it’s a pilot - I think that for the most part it was successful.” FINAL THOUGHTS & LESSONS LEARNED We learned several things from the Boost the Roost Initiative that greatly expanded our knowledge and understanding of a franchise approach to product development and purchasing in school nutrition. We have always known the complicated nature of K-12 procurement, and it was further highlighted throughout the process. This indicated a potential springboard for future research or projects. We saw that while cooperative purchasing across state lines does present challenges, there is also opportunity to streamline the procurement process. Consolidating volume and SKUs has the potential to simplify the school food supply chain for districts and provide an opportunity for smaller regional manufacturers to participate. In the end, despite the potential obstacles, industry members expressed interest in being involved in similar projects designed to test other approaches in the future. As an Alliance, we have committed to the continued research and development of procurement practices that will disrupt the current industry model. It is our mission to stay in front of the conversation to bring the highest quality products to students across the country.
Although there were some hiccups here and there, which you are always going to have - that’s why it’s a pilot - I think that for the most part it was successful.
~ Rick Garcia ~ Frontier Food Group
PAGE 12 | BOOST THE ROOST | USFA INITIATIVE RECAP
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