Towards more local chicken on the plates of college students. Since 2021, the Indre-et-Loire Chamber of Agriculture and the departmental council have been working on a Territorial Food Project (PAT). “It is a program which aims to relocalize food on the territory, from production to consumption”presents Lucie Champion, project manager at the Chamber of Agriculture. It is in this context that the departmental council asked her to develop, this year, a plan around local poultry for colleges.
“The objective is to eat well in the colleges of Touraine. This project complements our objective of offering 50% local products. For the moment, we are at 30%”details Ulysse Merckling-Larcher, local circuit project manager at the Indre-et-Loire departmental council. A goal also shared by the agricultural sector.
“Good food on children’s plates”
Designed since 2023, this project aims to offer five services per school year to the establishments concerned. The departmental council has identified twenty-five colleges which have an independent kitchen and which are not supplied with local poultry.
For its part, in March 2024, the Chamber of Agriculture contacted 36 local farms likely to market whole poultry. Five of them responded. “Needs can be met,” reassures Lucie Champion. “If we manage to move towards processed poultry, it will be necessary to expand the project with other producers”she envisions.
To launch the project, the different authorities wanted to offer meeting times between chefs and local producers. “Last June, we organized an information session for producers with a vision of a kitchen, to better understand how collective catering works”remembers Lucie Champion.
“Create dialogue”
On October 21, the college chefs came to visit the Mangrière agricultural farm, in Ferrière-Larçon. “It was an interesting meeting. Everyone can work knowing the equipment, constraints and requests of the other”shares Daniel and Marielle Pawula, co-founders of the operation. “The idea is to create dialogue so that it is as fluid as possible”comments Lucie Champion.
For the poultry farming couple, joining the project did not disrupt their daily lives. “It’s punctual, around one delivery per month. We didn’t need a major reorganization”specify Daniel and Marielle Pawula. “Above all, it’s a real satisfaction to put good food on children’s plates”they share.
At the time of writing these lines, producers and establishments are moving at their own pace. Some are in the process of making contacts and placing orders, while others have already started a service. “Ultimately, the objective will be to sustain and develop these five services over the year for all colleges”predicts Ulysse Merckling-Larcher.
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