After the USDA cuts two programs, health leaders, educators and farmers across the country are increasingly concerned about the impact on child nutrition. $600 million -It helped to put fresh farm food in the school.
Diane Pratt-Heavener said at School Nutrition Association, a 50,000-member advocacy group supporting the K-12 School Meal Program.
In early March, the USDA notified the state that the local food cooperative agreement program and the local food purchase support cooperative agreement program were to end.
Since 2021these programs provide funding for schools to buy fresh farm meals and support education programs like farming to teach children about farming and procuring their own food. The Nutrition Association estimates that more than 12 million students will be affected by the cut.
“Our major concern regarding the loss of local food at schools is the impact on student consumption,” said Pratt Havenner.
Schools must provide a variety of vegetables, fruits and meat, but meet federal nutrition guidelines for proportional sizes, sodium, sugar and other factors. For students who may not be able to eat fresh food every day, school cafeterias are a place to learn and experiment with new preferences, Pratt Heebner said.
“For students or children to try, they need 10 to 20 food exposures to get a punch to the lips,” said Melaniewick, food service director at Chicopee Public Schools in Massachusetts.
Served at most schools
According to the report, approximately 74% of schools across the country participated in interfarm programs. 2023 USDA Census.
Research has shown that nutritional dietary deficiencies can affect cognitively. Development of mental health Children, especially those born in early childhood education, are from birth to eight years of age. USDA’s own research found lasting benefits for children who consume fresh farm food, especially preschoolers. Exposing to a nutrition education curriculum that promotes local foods, preschool children are “more motivated to prefer healthy foods.” USDA reported in 2017.
Tommy Sheridan, assistant director of the National Head Start Association, said his members were worried about what these USDA cuts mean to students across the country. The HeadStart program receives grants from the Agriculture sector through the Children and Adult Care Food Program. That funding is not finished yet, but Head Start itself faces elimination.
“From a very basic perspective, if children feel safe, if they are not fed, they won’t be successful in the classroom,” Sheridan said.
Wick, Chicopee, Massachusetts, oversees 15 kitchens and feeds nearly 6,000 students a day. She was surprised at why she was quoted for the cut.
“In the firing letter, I said that food for local schools no longer implements the administration’s priorities as a reason for grants to end. Obviously, that stood out to me. She asked.
Massachusetts is hoping to lose $12 million from cuts. The farm-to-school grant meant Wick could create a school menu using foods that were out of her price range. Some come from producers only 30 minutes away.
“Local ground beef is $7 per pound. Previously it wasn’t suitable for budgets. However, this funding is local food for schools that were reserved specifically for these items, and “What do you know?”
Most schools have strict budgets for meals, she said, “making a complete meal, under $2 per tray at food costs.”
“We cannot do these miracles without proper funding,” adds Wick.
Farmers are also losing
Ending the farm-to-school programme not only puts student health and eating habits at risk, but also jeopardizes relationships with local farmers. Many of them rely on doing business with schools.
Matt Velazquez, a microgreen farmer in Louisville, Kentucky, said he previously worked in 10 school districts but is now preparing to work with four districts to cut back.
“Some [school districts] He is more familiar with financial objectives and can make things work, [for] Some will be real struggles,” he said.
Velazquez believes that fresh food on the farm has changed his life after he began experiencing health challenges by eating processed foods.
“My gut health has turned a lot, and I felt like I’ve gotten my life back,” he said.
This experience led him to start a family farm, morning fresh producer and tour school in Kentucky, where he spoke about the importance of healthy diets and the farm’s fresh food.
“We had a fourth grade presentation about a month or two ago,” he said. “We brought in some samples and showed us how to grow microgreens. They created a growing kit and the kids were excited about it.
Velazquez learned about the farm-to-school program last year. Even in the short time he attended, they were important in forging the connections.
“It needs to be a little more persuasive now. It can happen. It will take a little longer,” he said of building relationships with the district. “There’s something a little more unwilling about it, because if we bring in another vendor for our budget, how much of an impact will it have?” he said.
Drew Hanks, an associate professor of consumer science at Ohio State University, suggested that the federal government is more transparent about the expected outcomes of USDA cuts as schools and farmers tackle the realities of the new budget.
“How about it? [government officials] Do you think this is useless? What makes sense? “We’re facing a lot of cuts, and I think this will really help us to better understand where the profits ahead will come from and how the government is thinking.”
State officials across the country Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado and Virginiaurged the Trump administration to break their cooperation agreement.
Pennsylvania and California A direct appeal was filed. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called the local farm buying assistance program illegally cut.
Meanwhile, the School Nutrition Association has encouraged Congress to take action against current cuts and is paying attention to potential cuts in the future, Wick said.
“No matter your financial background, hungry children can’t learn. These diets are important to ensure that students are nourished for success,” Wick said. “We need to provide it to all students as part of their education to learn to get into schools and textbooks.”
