school lunch

With rising living costs, many families in Oregon are finding it hard to make ends meet. School food pantries could be the lifeline they need.

USDA is ending two pandemic-era programs that provided more than $1 billion for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farmers and producers.  About $660 million of that went to schools and childcare centers to buy food for meals through the Local Foods for Schools program.  A separ...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it is giving an estimated 3,000 more school districts in high-need areas the option to serve breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost, by expanding the availability of the Community Eligibility Provision, commonly known as CEP.

American Dairy Coalition, recently announced federal policy priorities and an action plan for 2023.  American Dairy Coalition CEO Laurie Fischer said, “Our ongoing efforts have been focused on raising awareness of short- and long-term challenges.”   One k...

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service launched a new initiative for healthier school meals through a $50 million grant opportunity.  It will support collaboration with the food industry to develop nutritious and appetizing school meals for students.   “We’re...

Last week, the House and Senate each passed the Keep Kids Fed Act, but the bill had to return to the House because the Senate version was slightly different.  The Hagstrom Report said the House passed the Senate’s version of the bill that requires the re-establishment of the reduced price category that Rand Paul of Kentucky insisted on including in the Senate version. The agreeme...

Those who provide school meals to students nationwide are reporting troubles doing their job. From food that's not available to prices that are much higher than anticipated, busting the budgets of school districts. "...and it's necessary for the Department of Agriculture to learn about these experiences and be able to respond accordingly," noted Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack ... Re

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, Stacy Dean, and USDA Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Cindy Long recently held a listening session focused on school meals. The session took place with 19 school food industry executives to discuss their critical role in strengthening access to nutritious foods for school meals programs, both now and into

Several farmers markets are starting to bounce back from the 2020 season. And one of those markets, the Yakima Farmers Market, is enjoying great sales numbers. If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekmedia... Read More ...

When the pandemic caused schools around the country to close, how did USDA's Food and Nutrition Service respond? "At USDA our emergency response was defined by frantic issuances of waivers, and then extending the waivers, and then extending the waivers again as necessary ...