The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service signed a $3.5 million cooperative agreement with Massachusetts to help purchase local, nutritious foods for schools.
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will use the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program to "purchase and distribute local and regional foods and beverages for schools to serve children," according to a Dec. 28 news release.
"This cooperative agreement supporting Massachusetts 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 news 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."
Massachusetts agreed it will source local and regional foods and beverages for children fed through USDA's National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, according to the release.
"These 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," the news release said.
"The Local Food for Schools funds will help school nutrition professionals support a diverse local food system and create more opportunities for farmers in the region to grow, harvest and distribute healthy ingredients to schools across the commonwealth," Massachusetts Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley said. "We thank the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service for this new and substantial investment in Massachusetts farms and students."
