The Bite:
We hope so - foodwise, anyway. Farm-to-school lunch programs deliver nutritious, locally grown food, and they're popping up everywhere, so help get your kid's chuckwagon on the farm-fresh bandwagon.
Is your kid getting fresh in the lunch line?
08.22.2007
Submitted by tmeronek on Wed, 08/22/2007 - 12:01am.
The Benefits:
- Eco-friendliness. A conventional carrot travels 1,838 miles from farm to cafeteria. Farm-to-school meat, dairy, and produce are often sourced from fewer than 100 miles away.
- Healthier kids. Farm-to-school programs increase kids' fruit-'n'-veggie intake by 25%.
- Helping local farmers. Farm-to-school programs provide a reliable source of income to local farms in need.
- Making good dollars and sense. The USDA says healthier diets could prevent $71 billion in medical costs every year.
Personally Speaking:
Jen's friend Jenny (yep, yet another one) is helping to start a farm-to-school program in Bozeman. Check the blog to hear her story (and if you're in MT, see how you can help).
Wanna Try:
- Farm to School - great resource on getting a farm-to-school program started in your kids' school district.
- Two Angry Moms - two moms are documenting their fight for healthier school lunches.
Cocktail Fact
Hoping to curb childhood obesity rates, West Virginia plans to install the video game Dance Dance Revolution in all of its public schools by 2008.
Bang For The Bite
You gotta get the ear of the school administration first, but farm-to-school programs mean healthier kids and a healthier planet.
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