Farm-to-school programs serve locally or regionally produced foods in school meals in many school districts. The programs also can include hands-on learning activities such as planting edible school gardens and visiting farms, while others emphasize culinary classes and food-related educational materials in the classroom. Serving local foods in school meals can bolster the market for local agricultural producers.
In 2013, ERS and USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service collaborated on the Nation’s first Farm to School Census. The purpose was to collect baseline data on the use of local foods in school meals from all public school districts during the 2011-12 school year. The information collected included how frequently local foods were served and which locally sourced foods were served more frequently. Schools reported how they defined “local foods,” with two common definitions being foods produced within 50 miles or within the State. About 75 percent of all public school districts responded to the survey.
According to the Farm to School Census, 35 percent of U.S. school districts reported serving local food in school meals during the 2011-12 school year. About 19 percent of school districts—containing 30 percent of American school children—served at least one locally sourced food item daily. Milk, fruit, and vegetables were the most frequently served locally produced foods.
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