During the summer of 2012, Foodlink implemented a Value-added Processing (VAP) program to extend the shelf life of local agricultural products and make them more appealing for consumers — especially children.

This initiative — a true social enterprise — focused on slicing local apples and sending them to local schools. Why apples?

A study published by Cornell Cooperative Extension and Cornell University’s Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs (BEN Center) in 2011 found that consumption rates among children (in Wayne County middle schools) rose more than 70% when schools offered sliced apples compared to those that offered whole apples. 

In addition, some schools in Wayne County — the third-ranked apple-growing county in the nation — were sourcing Washington State apples!  Local farms lack the infrastructure and equipment to slice their own apples, so Foodlink founder Tom Ferraro decided to take a chance … and the rest is history.

Today, in Foodlink’s state-of-the-art commercial kitchen, local apples are washed, sliced, bagged, and distributed to schools across New York State. In 2019, our operations became SQF (Safe Quality Food) certified, which allowed us to expand into new markets with new distributors.