Ecotrust in the News

Sustainable Food News
June 4, 2007

Survey: Farm to school programs bolster local food suppliers

Foodservice providers also report inconsistent quality, price are barriers to repeat business

Nearly a third of Oregon’s schools have purchased food from a local farmer or food processor, with more than 50 percent reporting they would continue to purchase locally if price and quality were competitive and sourcing was consistent.

That’s according to a new poll of 181 statewide foodservice providers serving K-12 schools conducted by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to determine the level of engagement of school food administrators in regard to local food sourcing.

The ODE also commissioned a second survey to measure the interest in Farm to School programs, which are proliferating around the state, finding that there are 160 functioning gardens rooted in schoolyards across the state with K-12 students getting their hands dirty in these plots.

More than 50 percent of these students spend four or more hours weekly in the garden or engaged in a related activity, the survey showed. The survey found nearly 30 percent of students cooked and consumed their garden yields.

Across the country, farm-to-school programs are being institutionalized within school districts and states. Within the past two years, Vermont, Washington, Delaware, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Colorado, New York, California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico have already considered, passed, or are currently debating farm-to-school legislation.

The biggest motivations cited in the foodservice providers survey for buying local were supporting the local economy and community, and the opportunity to offer fresher, high-quality foods to students.

The most commonly purchased local products were milk (100 percent), apples (76.5 percent), beef (66.7 percent), eggs (66.7 percent), cucumbers (62.5 percent) and yogurt (60 percent). Only 18.4 percent of food service providers saw an increase in students’ fruit and vegetable consumption when serving locally produced foods, while 36.7 percent were not sure if there was any change.

Foodservice providers who would not purchase from a local source again cited the following reasons: inconsistent quality (30.6 percent), reliability (13.9 percent), price (36.1 percent) and too much effort (16.7 percent). Other areas of concern were availability of local sources (16.7 percent), health regulations, food safety and liability (11.1 percent), getting approval from another authority such as the school board, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or from state contracts (11.1 percent), variety offered (2.7 percent) and delivery (2.7 percent). The poll of foodservice providers also found that less than 10 percent of the schools surveyed were willing to pay a higher price for locally produced foods.

Nearly half of the foodservice providers are members of purchasing cooperatives. The most popular vendors that foodservice providers purchase from include Sysco (57.3 percent) and Food Services of America (30.1 percent).

Only 8.3 percent of food service providers currently use organic produce, the survey showed. Of those few, organic foods account for anywhere from .25 percent to 25 percent with an average of 9.3 percent of total annual food. Many respondents were not aware if the milk they serve is hormone free (57.2 percent). Of the 15.9 percent of respondents who do serve hormone-free milk, almost all say they serve it exclusively.

The greatest concern among respondents was the cost of purchasing local food (86.2 percent). Other concerns included food safety (75.4 percent), delivery considerations (73.1 percent), reliable supply (66.2 percent), seasonality of fruits and vegetables (63.8 percent) and food quality (57.7 percent).

"The interest for and value of farm to school programs is evident in the number of educators, PTAs and cafeteria staff that are already committed to using gardens as classrooms and purchasing high-quality, locally produced foods for their lunchroom," said Joyce Dougherty, director for ODE’s Child Nutrition Programs.

A wide variety of subjects linked to school gardens are incorporated into curriculums ranging from physical sciences to horticulture, agriculture, arts, nutrition and math.

The results of these two surveys are welcome news to Oregon Farmers Feeding Oregon Kids, a broad coalition of organizations representing the education, health care, agricultural and food processing sectors that has introduced a trio of Farm to School bills to the state’s legislature this session. The three bills work synergistically to support Oregon communities, economy and the environment. HB 3476 (Kotek) allocates up to seven cents per school meal served for sourcing Oregon agricultural products, while HB 3307 (Clem) creates a full-time Farm to School position within the Oregon Department of Agriculture. HB 3185 (Clem) provides mini-grants for school gardens and other agriculture-based learning opportunities.

"These results clearly reinforce the benefits of the pending legislation," said Michelle Ratcliffe, lead researcher on both surveys and a representative for Oregon Farmers Feeding Oregon Kids. "School-aged children gain access to nutritional, seasonal food, Oregon farmers and food producers have school markets opened up to them, and ultimately the economy and environment both benefit from a strong local food economy."

Ecotrust in the News

Survey: Farm to school programs bolster local food suppliers

Foodservice providers also report inconsistent quality, price are barriers to repeat business

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