The epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States has incited parents, communities, and even legislators to improve kids' nutrition in one place they invariably eat: schools. Junk foods have been legally banned from many lunchrooms and school vending machines. But what will our nation's youth eat instead-fresh local produce? As if!
Dude, it's going down. In 2004, in a National School Lunch Act amendment, Congress authorized a seed grant for the Farm to Cafeteria Program, promoting school garden projects and acquisition of local foods from small farms. The Local Produce Business Unit of the Department of Defense actually procures produce. Benefits of these programs, above and beyond the food, include agricultural education through gardening, farm visits, presentations by local farmers, and modest economic gains for the community. More than one-third of our states now have active farm-to-school programs; farm-to-college alliances are also growing.
The USDA Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has a Farmer' Market Nutrition Program for purchasing local food. It provides coupons good for fresh produce purchased from farms, farmers' markets, and roadside stands. In 2006, some $20 million in government funds provided these benefits to more than 2.5 million people.
In a strong legislative move, Woodbury County, Iowa, mandated in 2006 that the county (subject to availability) "shall purchase...locally produced organic food when a department of Woodbury County serves food in the usual course of business." Even the prisons are serving local food, in a county that truly recognizes the value of community support.
For more information visit www.foodsecurity.org and www.farmtoschool.org.
-Steven L. Hopp
http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/
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