Malcom Shorter Assistant Secretary for Administration | Official Website
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack highlighted the USDA's dedication to connecting local farmers with schools across the United States, serving meals to approximately 30 million children daily. In celebration of National School Lunch Week and National Farm to School Month, Vilsack noted a recent $500 million investment for schools to purchase local, unprocessed foods as part of ongoing efforts to enhance school meal programs with nutritious domestic foods.
"A healthier future for our country starts with our children and American farmers and producers play a critical role in ensuring kids have healthy, tasty food with homegrown flavor to nourish them throughout the school day," said Secretary Vilsack. "We know the school meals supply chain is strongest when schools have relationships with local suppliers, which is why USDA will continue to support local foods in schools for a brighter future for our children."
The USDA has invested nearly $4.8 billion since 2021 in school meal programs focused on domestic foods. The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program has directed almost $700 million towards procuring locally sourced foods, emphasizing purchases from historically underserved producers.
This funding not only enhances access to nutritious foods but also opens new market opportunities for producers and creates jobs within communities. This contributes to a more resilient local food chain supporting schools.
Farm-to-school activities such as serving local foods, maintaining school gardens, and visiting farms provide experiential learning while supporting American farmers. According to the USDA Farm to School Census, 74% of schools served local foods during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Additional findings indicate that districts purchasing locally spent about $1.8 billion on these foods—16% of their total spending—and participation in farm-to-school initiatives increased by 14% since 2019.
Strengthening nutritious school meals remains a priority for both the USDA and the Biden-Harris Administration, which has provided around $13.2 billion in additional financial support since 2021. Major actions include updating nutrition standards and facilitating procurement processes for buying unprocessed local foods.
USDA aims to expand access so all children can succeed academically and beyond by promoting free healthy meals through various strategies under the Biden-Harris Administration’s White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.
