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Sustainable Food Institute Launched by Advocate of Good Food in Schools
- Bob Benenson
- 5 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Greg Christian Helps Transform Institutional Kitchens to Scratch Cooking Operations
Chef Greg Christian has long been a man on a mission — to bring fresh, healthy, and sustainably sourced food into schools and institutions. Since 2012, he has done so as founder and CEO of Chicago's Beyond Green Partners.
While that company continues its work, Greg has expanded his efforts with the launch of the Sustainable Food Institute of America, described in its press release (published below) as "a non-profit organization that helps transform institutional kitchens from processed food to scratch-cooking operations. Its mission reflects a focus on healthier food, community impact, and sustainable operations rooted in local food systems."
If we the people are truly committed to building a healthier society, then the ideas for which Greg is advocating are crucial. Nearly 30 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program and about 21 million get free or reduced-price food because their families' incomes qualify for assistance. But many school systems, by restrictions under law or budget constraints, contract these programs out to the lower bidder.
This has prompted many school systems to stop cooking meals from scratch — so many children are given a steady diet of pre-packaged processed food. The number of farm-to-school programs has increased, but growth has been at least partially stymied by budget cuts instituted by the Trump administration.
Similarly shortcomings affect food programs in other institutional settings such as colleges and hospitals.
Local Food Forum will be covering the work of the Sustainable Food Institute of America and the work of Greg Christian to elevate the need for better, healthy food in institutional settings.
Click the button below to visit the organization's website. Their press release follows.
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Press Release
SUSTAINABLE FOOD INSTITUTE OF AMERICA:
HELPING TO BUILD HEALTHY KITCHENS
TO NOURISH PEOPLE AND THE PLANET
Greg Christian Launches Sustainable Food Institute of America
to Champion Healthy, Mission-Driven Kitchens Nationwide
CHICAGO, IL (FEBRUARY 2026) – Greg Christian, Founder of Chicago’s Beyond Green Partners, launches Sustainable Food Institute of America (SFIA), a non-profit organization that helps transform institutional kitchens from processed food to scratch-cooking operations. Its mission reflects a focus on healthier food, community impact, and sustainable operations rooted in local food systems.
“Our current food system is broken, focused on highly processed commodities and ingredients that are transported hundreds and thousands of miles, then served in cafeterias across the country,” states Greg Christian, pioneer and founder of SFIA. “For decades, institutions have been asked to serve better food without being given a way to run better kitchens. SFIA is going to be the changemaker with its proven operating model.”
Christian, known as Chicago’s Conscious Caterer, operator of the nation’s first Zero Waste Kitchen, and a driving force behind introducing thousands of school children to fresh, organic food through The Organic School Project, is still leading the charge after decades of impact.
A true pioneer in the movement to bring fresh, healthy, and sustainably sourced food into schools and institutions, Christian has spent his career proving that good food can nourish people, strengthen communities, and respect the planet. Now, through his latest endeavor, the Sustainable Food Institute of America, he will expand his lifelong mission—sharing proven strategies, hard-earned expertise, and practical tools to help institutions build healthy kitchens, empower foodservice professionals, and transform the way America feeds its communities.
Built on over 20 years of real-world kitchen application and experience, SFIA’s operating system replaces reliance on processed food with efficient, replicable kitchen practices, improving performance, strengthening teams, and delivering measurable outcomes for the people in their care. Successful partnerships with institutions like the Chicago Public Schools include Lincoln 27, which serves the Lincoln Elementary School District in creating a healthy, sustainable, and equitable foodservice program.
The initiative between Lincoln 27 and Beyond Green promotes nutritious, delicious meals that empower students and support lifelong healthy habits. Serving over 360,000 meals annually to more than 1,200 students daily, the district partnered with Beyond Green through grant funding to shift cafeterias to from-scratch cooking with fresh, local foods. The cost-neutral program transforms school kitchens into nutrition-centered spaces without increasing operating costs.
“We are transforming how America feeds the people in their care, by taking kitchens from processed to scratch cooking at scale, strengthening local food systems and supporting healthier futures,” adds Christian.
SFIA’s coaching model empowers foodservice staff with the skills and tools to implement scratch-cooked kitchen programs featuring fresh and local ingredients. By working directly with teams in their own kitchens, the Institute helps foodservice professionals develop the skills, systems, and mindset needed to prepare fresh, healthy meals at scale—while controlling costs, reducing waste, and creating operations that are sustainable for both people and the planet.
“It is not enough for institutions to claim green/sustainable/kid friendly--they ALL serve quick scratch (think green bean casserole),” claims Christian. “Through SFIA, we can show kitchens how to do it right, in their current budget, with their current kitchen teams – and teach them how to scratch cook.”
SFIA equips institutions to shift from processed food to fresh, local, scratch-cooked meals, improving health, rebuilding local food systems, and strengthening the well-being of the people in their care. They change the system by developing the leaders who run the kitchen and the system. Through coaching, leadership development, and practical training, SFIA empowers foodservice professionals to rethink operations, build strong teams, and implement sustainable practices that endure long after the program ends.
With the launch of the SFIA, Christian is on a mission to gain support from like-minded investors and donors to help fund programs, so more schools and institutions can transform their foodservice operations thus strengthening local economies by sourcing locally and empowering foodservice staff.
“Donor investment will accelerate the expansion of the SFIA model into more institutions, more regions, and more kitchens serving schools, hospitals, and senior living centers, to make a difference,” states Christian.
For more information on how to support the SFIA or transform an institutional kitchen, visit https://www.sustainablefoodinstitute.org.
ABOUT SUSTAINABLE FOOD INSTITUTE OF AMERICA:
Across diverse institutional settings, SFIA’s operating model consistently produces the same performance gains:
● 25,000+ students served through higher-quality, scratch-cooked meals
● 200+ kitchen and nutrition professionals developed as operational leaders
● 18 institutional partners implementing SFIA’s model nationally
ABOUT GREG CHRISTIAN
Chef Greg has been a leader in the culinary industry for more than 40 years. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America then owned a high-end catering company. He started the first zero waste kitchen in Chicago with a focus on serving better food to kids.