Lunch Participation Jumps When Students Learn About Local Ingredients
One school district increased school meal participation by educating their students about the local, healthy options they were already sourcing from local Kentucky Farmers. 
Fayette County Public School’s (FCPS) Nutrition Department (KY) worked closely with their Farm to School program to coordinate the Fayette Farm to School Challenge, a weeklong program filled with taste tests, cafeteria guests and educational programs to help increase student participation.
The Fayette Farm to School program worked to promote the educational aspect to families, students and staff, while the FCPS School Nutrition Department procured and prepared local menu items for the week. They featured recipes including cheesy chicken étouffée, an original created by District Chef Todd Gorrell, containing Kentucky sweet potatoes and butternut squash. The week also showcased how kid-favorites, like hot dogs and Sloppy Joe’s, could be made healthier, using locally-sourced produce and local farm-raised meats. Read more…
Fresh School Garden Produce Inspires New Menu Options
As the harvest season comes to an end and Farm to School Month approaches, Southampton Union Free School District (NY) school gardens final crops are producing various squash and pumpkins for school meals. To ensure her students have access to healthy, fresh ingredients and nutritious new menu options throughout the whole school year, district Food Service Director Regan Kiembock works with a number of local farmers as well.
The district’s impressive garden is organized by the Southampton School Garden Committee and is funded through a number of grants. Since produce is regularly used in school meals, funds are set aside from the school lunch fund to buy supplies as needed. Nearby Cornell Cooperative Extension also helps support the gardening efforts with free seeds in the spring. Items grown in the school garden include a wide variety of lettuce, along with asparagus, onions, squashes, pumpkins, raspberries, kale, peas, garlic, herbs, tomatoes, beets and carrots. Read more…
Whole Grain Rich Options Abound in Schools
Whole grains are on school lunch trays to stay, according to School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) recent survey of school meal programs nationwide. When USDA regulations pertaining to whole grains in school meals took effect to add more menu planning flexibilities in July, some were worried about what this would mean for the whole grains in cafeterias across the country. However, over 90 percent responding to the survey indicated that their school districts will exceed federal whole grain requirements.
Vertical Hydroponic Farming Takes Elementary School To New Heights
Students at Hopewell Elementary School (HES) in New Jersey have cultivated an impressive Farm to School program that incorporates important school lessons while also providing produce for school cafeteria menus. Read more…
October Brings Local Taste To Washington Schools
A perfect kick-off to Farm to School Month, Highline Public Schools (WA) celebrated Taste Washington Day on Wednesday, October 3, featuring locally sourced foods on the menu and cafeteria visits from farmers and producers across the state.
Locally Sourced Foods A Major Presence On School Menus
With the growing popularity of farmer’s markets and community-sponsored agriculture, schools have also upped their game with locally sourced foods on their menus. Read more…
Sampling Flavors of Snoqualmie Valley on Taste Washington Day
Taste Washington Day started seven years ago as a way for schools to work with local farmers to bring students a great meal made with locally grown ingredients. Read more…
Student Farmers Contribute to Success of Healthy School Meals
One Wisconsin school district is taking Farm to School to the next level! With the help of school nutrition professionals, science and math teachers and the Future Farmers of America, students in the School District of Holmen have helped raise their own chickens, grow their own crops on donated land and harvest from hydroponic greenhouses. At the helm of each project, Nutrition Services Supervisor Michael Gasper has helped organize Holmen’s Farm to School program into the great success it is today. In addition to student-grown and raised foods, he also selects produce and meats from local Wisconsin farms for school menus. Read more…
Blender Bikes Let Students Pedal Their Way To A Nutritious Breakfast
To promote physical activity while introducing more ways to eat fresh fruit, blender bikes offer an interactive meal prep on wheels. The bikes grab attention and inspire students in all grade levels, and even school staff, to get in on the delicious action. Read more…
Sea to School program puts local seafood on students’ trays
Boston Bay is known to have some of the freshest Atlantic Ocean seafood, featured proudly on local restaurant menus. For the first time, area schools are also now incorporating that famous and readily available resource into their cafeterias.
