School Food and Farm to School

How School Nutrition Works - Income

¨  Funding ¤ Federal 52% ¤ Students 45% ¤ Local 1% ¤ State 0.01%

¨  Federal ¤ Free $2.89 ¤ Reduced $2.49

How School Nutrition Works - Output

¨  Labor 50% ¨  Food 42% ¨  Supplies 3% ¨  Equipment 3% ¨  Other 2%

Child Nutrition Programs Cover all of Costs.

Dr. Thelma de Garmo Bryan

¨  Professor of Institutional Management at Teacher’s College, Columbia University. WWI Dietitian who say firsthand the physical condition of troops in the war.

Pioneers in School Food

Emma Smedley

Ellen Richards Volunteers Extension Service

“School lunch is a source of nourishing food which helps combat malnutrition and hunger and helps maintain the health and vigor essential to the success of the teaching program; school lunch is the center for the

teaching of proper food selection and good health habits; school lunch provides an opportunity for

correlating classroom teaching with interests and experiences of children which center around food;

and school lunch is a way of engaging the community in the work of the school and of providing some nutrition education to parents through this outlet.”

Child Nutrition Programs: Historical Perspective

“The nation has sustained 155,000 casualties in the war because of the malnutrition in its young men, and these were the healthier men as fully one-third were rejected and could not even enter the armed services because of malnutrition.”

General Lewis B. Hershey, Director of the Selective Service, testified before Congress in 1945

Child Nutrition Programs Historical Perspective

“Today as I sign the National School Lunch Act, I feel that Congress has acted with great wisdom in providing the basis for strengthening the nation through better nutrition for our school children…I hope that all state and local authorities will cooperate fully…in establishing the cooperative school lunch in every possible community.”

President Harry S. Truman signs the National School Lunch Act into law on June 4, 1946

Child Nutrition Programs Historical Perspective – 1950-70s

Ø  Program thrives through state and federal support Ø  “Right thing to do for children” Ø  Educators/administrators viewed CN program as part of

total education program Ø  Nutrition education was a component of state curricula Ø  Food was simple and from scratch Ø  “Hungry children can’t learn.” Ø  Additional funds made available to “severe need” schools Ø  Program perceived as “Sacred Cow”

Child Nutrition Programs Historical Perspective – 1980s Ø  “Sacred Cow” is slaughtered; program is devastated by $1.8 billion federal budget cut Ø  Proposal to shift responsibility to states and

charities Ø  Districts struggle to keep program operational Ø  Schools begin to sell supplemental items Ø  A la Carte service begins; offers relief from budget cuts; schools realize food sales = easy funds Ø  1987 – federal program funds restored…

Child Nutrition Programs Historical Perspective – 1990-2000

Ø  A la Carte program thrives Ø  CN Program must rely on revenues from the sale of non-nutritious foods and beverages to students to operate Ø  Schools make money selling foods and

beverages to students Ø  Students develop appetite for A la Carte foods Ø  State and local funding re-directed

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act 2010

¨  First revision to the school lunch meal pattern in over 30 years.

¨  Set minimum and maximum calorie levels and portions sizes for bread and protein based on age/grade groups.

¨  Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables offered based on age/grade groups. ¤ Require minimums on vegetable subgroups

n Dark green, deep orange/yellow or legumes.

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act 2010

q  Set requirements on Saturated Fat, Trans Fat and Sodium

¨  50% of grains must be whole grain

¨  Milk must be low fat

Current Trends in Child Nutrition: We’ve come full circle.

¨  Prevention of Childhood Obesity

¨  Promoting appropriate growth and health

¨  Aid schools in meeting academic goals

¨  Increase availability of fruits and vegetables

How does Farm to School fit in?

¨  According to NCDA ¤  85 of 110 school districts in

NC participate in some form of Farm to School Program

¨  Produce Vendors ¤  Include bid language that

favors vendors that can supply local produce.

¤  Working to get local items from packers and farmers.

What are schools currently doing?

¨  Purchase items direct from farmers or farmer’s Co-ops

¨  Farm Tours, Nutrition

Education, School Gardens, etc. ¤  Collaborations with ASAP

Barriers to Sourcing Local

¨  GAP/HACCP Certification (Sanitation/Safety) ¨  Deliveries ¨  Packing and Quantities ¨  Cost Effectiveness

n Child Nutrition programs are not provided much local or state funding in NC

n Cannot afford to pay more for produce

Barriers to Sourcing Local

¨  School Perspective ¤ Will the kids eat it? ¤ Difficult to determine who to buy from ¤ Difficult to know what is in season and who to

contact ¤ Difficult to determine what to do if items are not

available or substandard ¤ Record keeping

n Purchase orders, invoices, and accounts payable

Farm to School Makes Connections

¨  Between CNDs, Farmers and Distributors ¨  Between classroom and cafeteria ¨  Between children and fresh local fruits and

vegetables.

¨  Local food in schools

¨  Farm field trips

¨  School gardens

¨  Local food cooking

www.growing-minds.org

 

Farm to School = Exploring food and farms through hands-on experiences.

Children Will Eat What They Cook and Grow

Early introduction to fresh, healthy foods will have an important impact as children begin making their own food choices.

Local Food for Meals, Snacks, Events

¨  Training and workshops for farmers on selling to school systems

¨  Resources for Child Nutrition Directors and Cafeteria Managers

¨  Get Local Materials ¨  Promotional Materials

School Gardens

¨  Seeds and Gift Cards ¨  Weekly Garden

Newsletter for Educators

¨  Workshops and Trainings

¨  Resources and Lessons ¨  Children’s Literature

Farmer Classroom Visits and Field Trips

¨  Assistance connecting with farmers

¨  Curriculum connections ¨  Training and resources

for farmers and teachers

¨  The Hayride ¨  Mini-grants

Farm to School Tastings

A Farm to School taste test is an event that offers students small samples of local foods, usually fresh fruits and vegetables. Anyone can organize a Farm to School taste test: teachers, school administration, a chef, a parent, food service staff, a school nurse, students, etc.

Local Food Cooking in the Classroom

¨  Stipends for food ¨  Assistance sourcing

local ¨  Workshops and

Trainings ¨  Recipes, lessons, and

stickers ¨  Cooking equipment ¨  Growing Minds’ Best

Practices Guide

Local food has a face, a connection, and a story

Farm to School Education Project Jackson County

Results from K-2 CVS survey, 2012

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Asks more often to visit a farm

Asks to visit a Farmers Market

Asks more often to eat vegetables

Asks more often to eat fruits

Wants to help more with your garden

Is more interested in where food is grown

Wants to start a garden

Is more likely to try new FRUITS

Is more likely to try new VEGETABLES

Wants to help cook more often

Is more likely to try new FOODS

Parents' Ratings of How Project Impacted Their Child

Parent Comments

“My son was so excited about cooking and eating new things in class. Since then he tries more types of food.”

“My non-vegetable eating child came home saying he loved kale!”

“He tried new things that without having tasted them at school he probably wouldn't have had the opportunity.”

“My daughter enjoyed these projects and bragged about eating fresh veggies at the farm. She tried more raw veggies at home after the farm trip.”

“I think it’s great for children to learn where food comes from, especially since this county once produced a large number of crops and families grew their own food.”

What can YOU do?

Ø  Be accurately informed about the issue. Ø  Encourage your decision-makers to support efforts to

restore state and local funds to the Child Nutrition Program as a public health measure.

Ø  Continue to advocate for a healthy school nutrition environment.

Ø  Support your local Farm to School programs.

Anna Littman Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project 306 W. Haywood St., Asheville, 28801 (828) 236-1282 anna@asapconnections.org www.appalachiangrown.org

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