The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has signed a cooperative agreement with California for more than $23 million to increase purchases of nutritious, local foods for school meal programs.
Through the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, the California Department of Education will purchase and distribute local and regional foods and beverages for schools to serve children through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, according to a news release. The agency said the products will be healthy and unique to their geographic area, with the goal of improving child nutrition and building new relationships between schools and local farmers.
“This cooperative agreement supporting California schools is another example of how USDA is working to build a more resilient food system rooted in local and regional production,” USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt said in the release. “The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program provides an opportunity for states to strengthen ties between local farmers, ranchers, food businesses and schools, and gives students access to nutritious foods unique to the area they live in, building stronger connections across local communities.”
With the funds, the California Department of Education will strengthen local and regional purchasing relationships between school food authorities participating in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program with local farmers and producers, the release said.
The cooperative agreements will allow organizations the flexibility to design food purchasing programs and establish partnerships with farmers and ranchers that best suit their local needs, accommodate environmental and climate conditions, account for seasonal harvests, improve supply chain resiliency and meet the needs of schools within their service area, according to the release.
