Benefits abound when eating local food, especially in growing children. Eating nutritious fruits and vegetables, learning at a young age where carrots come from, and meeting your neighbor who grows them could have a large impact on child development. It's about telling the story of the food we eat, something that kids and adults alike can enjoy!
Although there are infrastructure challenges, currently sixty-nine school districts in Minnesota have programs. The model is being replicated nationwide in this bill "Recently national bipartisan legislation was released National Farm to School Act of 2010 (H.R. 5456)"
"St. Paul Public Schools alone purchased 110,000 pounds of locally grown produce in just the first six weeks of the 2009-2010 school year – the markets created by school districts can be a big boost to small family farmers. Minnesota students are now eating locally-grown apples and corn on the cob. Other programs also serve potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, bison, and beans." -Maria Reppas
Sounds like a yummy deal to me!
