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“Farm to School” strives to bring locally produced foods into school cafeterias; hands-on learning activities such as farm visits, producers visiting schools, school gardening, and culinary classes; and the integration of food-related education into the standards-based classroom curriculum. Farm to school includes of all types of producers and food businesses including farmers and waterman as well as food processors, manufacturers, and distributors.
Maryland schools spent $19 million on local food served in schools according the USDA Farm to School Census. Maryland was the first state in the nation to have every public school system participate in the Maryland Homegrown School Lunch, an element of the Maryland Farm to School program.
There are more than 2 million acres of farmland in Maryland and more than 12,000 farms. Over 70 million lunches and 24 million breakfasts are served in Maryland schools annually. Maryland Farm to School is not the federally funded Childhood Nutrition Programs but locally sourced Maryland foods can be a part of the Breakfast, School Lunch, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Summer Meals, Maryland Meals for Achievement, etc.
How is your public school incorporating locally grown foods and agriculture education in the cafeteria and classroom?
Don’t see Maryland-grown products listed on your schools menu? Ask your school cafeteria manager which items are locally produced. We encourage students, parents, teachers and administrators to continue to ask for Maryland produce in school lunches.
Need helping sourcing local product? No problem. Contact Karen Fedor at Karen.fedor@maryland.gov.
The Maryland Farm to School program is sponsored by the Maryland Department of Agriculture in partnerships with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).
