schools

Many U.S. school food authorities purchase local foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, and proteins for their district’s cafeterias.  In addition to buying locally produced foods, many school districts participate in other farm to school activities, such as product-specific promotions, taste tests of local foods, onsite edible gardens, and field trips to farms.  Approximately...

The USDA said it will increase funding to help schools continue to serve healthy meals this coming school year and provided financial relief for schools and childcare providers.   The reimbursement schools will get for each meal served will increase by 68 cents per free or reduced-price lunch and 32 cents per free or reduced-price breakfast.   The in...

The ERS released new data last week showing schools are the richest source of dairy in children’s diets. The data comes from 2017-2018, for children between two and 19 years old. These foods provided an average of 1.99 cups of dairy products per 1,000 calories consumed each day. F ...

In an effort to help connect consumers with locally grown food, the Washington state Department of Agriculture recently expanded the Food & Farm Finder. The online tool was launched last year in response to the challenges the state’s food system was experiencing because of the pandemic. Users c ...

The USDA's Farmers to Families Food Box Program was scheduled to wrap up at the end of October, following three rounds of food acquisition and distribution. "But we thought is was so popular that we're continuing in November and December through the end of the year," Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue recently announced there will be a 4th round of Farmers to Families which he calls a Win-Win-Win

The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is reminding parents during the pandemic that their online resources offer quick and easy ways for children to learn about agriculture. “We wanted to make sure that we had resources available to them that cover topics in agriculture," said Foundation Education Outreach Director Julia Recko. "Ri ...

Kids are notorious for their love of hot dogs but they won’t get them in New York City schools this year for lunch.  According to Fox 5, the Board of Education will no longer allow processed meats in public school cafeterias following a resolution passed by the New York City Council.   C...

The International Dairy Foods Association and National Milk Producers Federation praised Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue and the USDA who put forth a rule that will allow low-fat, flavored milk back into schools.   In 2012, the USDA eliminated the low-fat, flavored milk options for schools which resulted in a dramatic decrease in milk consumption in schools.  ...