Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 12/27/17


More schools districts – and therefore more schoolchildren – are learning about healthy eating habits, and more schools would like to be able to source meats locally, according to the latest USDA Farm to School Census.

More than 5,200 school districts and 57,600 schools participated in the program in 2015, which tracks local sourcing of food fed to schoolchildren during the course of the day. The first such survey in 2013 found more than 4,300 school districts operating 40,300 schools participated in Farm to School, which was established under the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, USDA said.

Although fruits, vegetables and milk top the list of foods that schools try to buy locally, respondents also indicated they would like to be able to locally source meats and other items in the future. All but three U.S. states reported that they serve local meats, including meat or poultry in Vermont (48 percent) and seafood in Alaska (53 percent). The InterTribal Buffalo Council also has reintroduced bison in some school cafeterias, allowing students to learn about tribal culture and tribal herd management practices.  

The program also involves promoting locally produced foods at school, holding taste testing and demos of locally produced foods and offering field trips to farms, in addition to having farmers visit cafeterias, classrooms and other school-related settings.
Most of the meals featuring local foods are served at lunchtime (86 percent), with breakfast (54 percent) coming in second place, USDA reported.

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