Local Foods in Schools
Connecting local growers to schools for healthier children
There is a growing movement across the country to bring locally grown foods into the school food system. Whether it's fresh apples from a local orchard or leafy greens grown right in the school yard, local food ensures that school children have access to fresh, nutritious choices at meal and snack times.
Through partnerships with local growers, students also have the opportunity to learn about where their food comes from, how it gets from the garden or farm to their plates, and why fresh foods are so important to their health.
Partnerships between local growers and schools also provide a valuable economic benefit, ensuring that more dollars spent on food stay in the local economy. When schools bring their purchasing power to local growing operations, they add stability to local farms and the families that operate them.
The partnership between schools and local producers also contributes to the health of the local environment. Local producers are more likely to utilize gentler growing methods and the shorter distance between producer and consumer means a smaller footprint on the environment.
The food experience in school plays a pivotal role in shaping children's understanding of their own health, environment, and community. Bringing local foods to school allows everyone--student, teacher, parent and farmer--to play an important part in a mutually beneficial network and to support the health and well being of future generations.
Case Studies
Successful Farm to School programs span many states, from innovations with local food-based curriculums in Illinois to partnerships with the Department of Defense in Michigan.
Brought to Kansas City by KC Healthy Kids and University of Missouri Extension, this program provides healthy snacks and nutrition and agriculture education to kindergarten students.