Farm to School / Institution

Fifty years ago when we boomers went to the school cafeteria, we thought of it as a treat. This was an escape from the lunch pail with the bologna sandwiches and oreo cookies. Here we could enjoy corn dogs, mac and cheese and fruit cocktail. We soon learned that this was the road to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

Recently, all districts across the country with federally funded school lunch programs must implement “Wellness Policies” that address nutrition and physical activity. But while not much has changed in school lunches -- the rate of childhood obesity has gone up. Oh, there is some attention to salt, fat and sugar in menu planning. There are even efforts now to get a lot of corporate sponsored vending machines and snack foods off the school grounds. But, when it comes to the quality of the fruits and vegetables, little has changed.

The factors creating this problem are diverse: school kitchens do not exist or are very basic, cafeteria staff are few, preparation time is limited, and commercial sized "value-added" pre-prepared food in cans or bags has increased.

So, every month the majority of local schools buy conventionally grown produce from wholesalers whose crops come from agribusiness farmers in the Central Valley using water from the Klamath, Eel and the Trinity. The vegetables were picked several days ago and shipped over 600 miles to Humboldt County.

The reality is that those that cannot “afford” organically grown produce at the market must purchase low nutrition conventionally grown food, subsidized through crop supports and other Agri-Business programs. Our children deserve basic access to good nutritious food - why can't we make this happen?

Although limited direct sales to schools began over 5 years ago, participation from farmers has been slow and periodic. While many farmers have spoken of their belief that children deserve better quality food in our local schools, most have preferred to primarily serve their Arcata Farmers Market customers. Price and volume have been the two most consistent reasons expressed.

The Farm to School & Institution Program have helped to introduce schools to the many fold value of connecting schools to farmers and farmers to another market niche. The broker introduces the school to the farmer as they set about negotiating the ongoing logistics of getting fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables to schools.

Farmers can continue to get a fair price for their product, while reducing their overhead costs and still improving the quality of food served at schools and institutions. Public schools can loosen their fixed menus and supplement budgets to capture seasonal varities and northcoast flavors.

Talk to both your favorite farmer and your school lunch personnel to get greater participation and improve access to locally grown produce to all of Humboldt County 's residents while insuring economic sustainability for your farm business.

Contact the Community Alliance for Family Farmers.