Farm To School

This appeared in the November 25, 2021 edition of The Fish Wrap.

If there’s one thing everyone can agree on, it’s that there’s room for improvement in school lunches. Over half of the students in our community qualify for reduced-price lunch and get their most reliable food source from school. When you consider that schools rely on unhealthy, heavily processed food shipped from out of state, it’s a no-brainer to look to local farmers to supply some of the food. Virtually every health issue that challenges children and adults can be prevented or at least mediated with healthy, whole food. 

Learning about whole foods in youth can set a person up for a lifetime of healthy eating. But when choosing a food service provider, Illinois schools are required to accept the lowest bid. They can’t select a food service provider based on the quality of the food, or where it was sourced. Illinois is one of only 2 states (with NY) with this onerous requirement.

The Illinois Stewardship Alliance (ISA) is working to change this situation! The ISA is an alliance of farmers and eaters with a mission to shape a more just and regenerative local food system. They educate policymakers and have a seat at tables where food decisions are made. Their core values include the belief in the right to healthy, wholesome food for all and the responsibility to steward our natural resources in a way that benefits future generations.

The ISA is lobbying for Illinois to implement solutions like 48 other states have in place to support farm-to-school initiatives, primarily to update the bidding process to allow school districts to prioritize nutrition and local sourcing when choosing a food service provider. You can help by supporting the ISA, or just letting your school administrators and legislators know that you care about the quality of the food our children eat!