Kids Eat Local Act aims to bring more local food into schools

A group of U.S. senators has introduced the Kids Eat Local Act, intended to expand the amount of local food used in school meals by simplifying the local procurement process for operators. 

Current law doesn’t give districts the option to select "local" or "regional" as a product specification when filling out a procurement request.

If passed, the Kids Eat Local Act would allow schools to specify “locally grown,” “locally raised” or “locally caught” during the procurement process and then award the lowest bidder who can meet those standards. Schools will also have more flexibility to define what “local” means according to their needs.