“Farm to School” is a term which 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.
In
Maryland, there are more than 2 million acres in farmland and more than 12,000
farms. More than 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).
