Sometimes, locavorism can almost seem like hysteria. And sometimes, it’s just plain confusing — as in the case of the recent drop of Rookie’s Root Beer from the University of Vermont’s dining options.

Burlington-brewed Rookie’s is no longer on tap at Brennan’s, UVM’s “local and organic dining destination,” where a wall map lists the various farms and producers that populate the menu. Why? 

“Rookie’s Root Beer is a local, Vermont company, but to be considered local by Real Food Challenge standards, products must include at least 50 percent local ingredients,” writes Caylin McKee, UVM’s dining sustainability and social media coordinator, in an email.

In March 2012, UVM became one of the first schools to commit to the Real Food Challenge, a national campaign to shift $1 billion in higher-ed food expenditures to local, “real” options by 2020 — that means foods that are “local, ecologically sound, humane and/or fair,” as McKee writes. 

“Because of the nature of Rookie’s product, the main ingredient being sugar, they do not meet the 50 percent requirement,” she adds.

Corin Hirsch was a Seven Days food writer 2011 through 2016. She was also a dining critic and drinks columnist at Newsday from 2017 to 2022, and contributes to The Guardian, Wine Enthusiast and other publications. She’s spoken often on colonial era drinking and is the author of Forgotten Drinks of Colonial New England, published by History Press in 2014.

27 replies on “UVM Drops Rookie’s Root Beer as Not ‘Real’ Enough for Real Food Challenge”

  1. As is with all things these days…much ado about nothing. Rookie’s, I’m sure, is tasty. But, sounds to me like it’s an over-priced pain in the ass. And UVM chose to use a flimsy excuse instead of being brutally honest. What is the cost difference between the one made down the street and the other? No mention…

  3. I was crestfallen this year when I went into Brennan’s, asked for a Rookie’s Root Beer, and was told that it was no longer being served. There is nothing worse than craving something all summer, feeling the deep-rooted satisfaction that comes from finally being able to fulfill it, and then being coldly denied my Rookie’s.
    Also, I’d rather have a 40% VERMONT local product from a small business based out of Burlington than 70% MAINE product that uses all domestic ingredients. Local businesses are more important. Especially if their products are delicious.

  4. Does it really surprise anyone that all the english, history, and sociology majors cloistered in the Ivory Tower believe they should control what we can think, say, and do? After all, they’re much smarter than everyone else. Most of them have never lived outside academia. I have a liberal arts university professor in my extended family and she’s essentially a liberal social fascist. As are all her academic friends and colleagues. It’s groupthink. She actually doesn’t believe that conservative views should be allowed to be expressed on campus. Why? “Because they’re wrong.” This has been going on for years. Get with the program, Tim!
    The fact that UVM has a “dining sustainability and social media coordinator” says it all.
    That’s where our tuition and tax dollars are going, to pay for “dining sustainability” and “social media coordinating.”

  5. Screw the Real Foods Challenge… not everything has to be some grand national pledge/challenge/comittment
    Just serve Vermont stuff if that’s what they want to do..and screw sodexo too

  6. Not content to control how students think, live and learn, we must now control their diets. The modern university is a facism factory.

  8. If UVM chooses a company from Maine over a local company, shouldn’t we rename the school University of Maine (VT campus)

  9. Rookies is as local as it gets UVM. This is a disappointing choice by a community leader, I though UVM was a about local business and the Burlington community not about pushing a higher priced lesser quality product on its students.

  10. Come on UVM! A company from Maine and fricken’ Coca-Cola somehow meet the “local” standards but not a company located a few miles from campus? Something’s rotten here. In case you’ve forgotten, UVM represents Vermont and has a responsibility to Vermont. Rookies is as local as local can get. You should be working with Rookies to find their niche not playing politics over kick-backs and sponsorship deals.

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