Federal bill aims to increase local produce in school meals

A group of lawmakers has introduced a bill aimed at getting more fresh, unprocessed produce in school meals. 

Sponsored by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Peter Welch (D- Vt.), along with Representative Pramila JayaPal (D-Wash.), the Local School Foods Expansion Act of 2023 would give schools better access to local fruits and veggies by strengthening the Pilot Project for the Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables. 

Passed in the 2014 Farm Bill, Pilot Project allows schools in participating states to use entitlement dollars to purchase fresh, unprocessed produce for use in the National School Lunch Program. Currently, the program operates in California, Connecticut, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Under the bill, the program would become permanent and expand to 14 states. Participating states would be chosen using a series of credentials, including the state's per capita quantity and variety of growers of local produce, whether the state will serve a large percentage of students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, and whether it has demonstrated a commitment to farm-to-school programming and working with small, local, tribal and socially disadvantaged farmers. 

In addition, the act also directs the Secretary of Agriculture to evaluate the program's impact one year after the bill becomes a law. The Secretary would then need to submit a report to Congress within four years that includes an analysis of the evaluation and its results. 

To carry out the program, the bill allots $15 million over the course of the fiscal years 2024-2028. Of those funds, states will receive $10 million for program administration and to provide technical assistance to food vendors so they can become certified to participate in the program. Each state will also receive at least $300,000 for each fiscal year it participates.