October is Farm-to-School Month in the United States. It's a month when schools enjoy the bounty from their school gardens or farm-fresh produce from nearby producers and ranchers. It's also a time when schools focus on classroom leassons and special activities to teach students about the origins of their food.
CKC Good Food will be supporting our schools' farm-to-school lessons in two specific ways this October:
We will be offering the Dick & Jane Baking Company's special-edition "Farmers Market" Educational Snacks. These animal-cracker-like snacks are imprinted with a state in the country and a food product that originates in that state. For example, Michigan features cherries, Idaho has potatoes. The educational snacks are a fun way for students to learn about where their food comes from. We are proud to support this small Michigan-based company in its efforts to teach students valuable lessons through food. All the company's products meet the USDA nutritional guidelines for the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program and SMART Snacks.
We have sourced three varieties of locally grown apples to highlight for students the differences in taste among various apples. We will be showcasing Honeycrisp and Macintosh apples from Westcott Orchards (Elgin, MN), and Regent apples for one week each during October.
Participate in the Great Lakes Apple Crunch - Thursday, October 11 at Noon
Our focus on locally grown apples gives your school the perfect opportunity to join other schools, colleges, hospitals, etc. in the Great Lakes Apple Crunch on Thursday, October 11 at noon. Last year, more than 1.5 million people took part. This year's goal is 1.7 million. By registering to participate prior to October 2, your school will receive Crunch stickers and be entered into a drawing to have Timberwolves' mascot Crunch lead your event on October 11! In addition to being fun for your students, this is also a great social media opportunity for your school.
Farm-to-School Month is a perfect opportunity to teach students about the origins of their food and the benefits of locally produced and processed foods and ingredients. But that doesn't mean it's limited to October -- farm-to-school is a year-round initiative. Check back on our blog throughout the month to learn more about CKC's year-round farm-to-school sourcing.
Farm-to-School growing in prominence
According to the School Nutrition Association's School Nutrition Operations Report: The State of School Nutrition 2018, nearly 60% of the 1,550 respondents reported serving local produce in their cafeterias. In the 2014 version of the same study, only 37.5% of respondents indicated they incorporate farm-to-school efforts into their school meal programs.
Farm-to-school foods ensure the freshest foods in school meals and help support local economies at the same time. Money spent in your community, stays in your community. And while most of us think of crop agriculture when we hear farm-to-school, it can also encompass the likes of local fisheries, beef ranchers, chicken farms and food processors.
There are many organizations and government agencies putting their muscle behind the farm-to-school movement, including the National Farm-to-School Network, an information advocacy and networking hub for communities working to bring local food sources, and food and agriculture education into education settings. USDA's Farm-to-School Program also supports and encourages the procurement of local foods. The agency has a vision for locally sourced foods to be the norm, not the exception, in school foodservice programs. It may seem odd, even the Department of Defense supports farm-to-school through its Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which enables schools nationally to allocate a portion of their USDA Foods entitlement money towards fresh fruits and vegetables. CKC Good Food works closely with our mainline distributor, Upper Lakes Foods, to procure produce, meats and grains from local and regional sources as much as possible. We also leverage the DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to ensure freshness in your school meals while keeping costs in check.
