Making the connection.
Parents want their kids to eat more fresh produce, schools want to serve it, and farmers are eager to sell it. What are we waiting for?
Farm to School Programs Bring Fresh Produce, Fresh Solutions to the Lunch Room
5 Questions with Anupama Joshi, Co-Director of National Farm to School Network
School Lunch Encounters of the Third Kind

FoodCorps receives recognition in the blogosphere!

“I feel compelled to share another organization that is trying to revolutionize the way children are eating on a national level. I recently learned about an organization called FoodCorps through one of Marion Nestle’s blog posts (whom I regard as the godmother of all things related to nutrition, food politics and related topics). FoodCorps has an extremely grass-roots, hands-on goal to help minimize and eventually diminish the over-consumption of processed foods among children in public schools”

from http://thenudgepatrol.blogspot.com/2010/08/foodcorps-battling-obesity-epidemic.html

The Queens of Green interview the Farm to School Network's Marion Kalb.
“Schools represent a microcosm of a community. They have buildings and transportation systems that use energy, support material-flow systems that use local resources, purchase goods and services, and generate waste into the waste stream. Schools impact the health and wellness of their populations and the local environment and economy by the food choices they make and the transportation options they support. And schools are a foundational conduit for our children to engage in the world they inhabit and the future they will inherit.”
—

from the Asheville Citizen-Times article ‘Start with schools to build a sustainable community’, at http://m.citizentimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010308010003

Minnesota state senator Al Franken delivers a brief but excellent interview on the importance of increasing access to local food:

http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2010/07/al_franken_decl.php

Sowing Seeds: Improving Food Quality with Farm to School Programs

From the cafeteria to the classroom and beyond, farm to school programs offer children and communities a myriad of benefits including increases in consumption of healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables, and knowledge and awareness of where food comes from.

This webinar will describe how these changes can be achieved, highlight the National Farm to School network and its resources, and provide an in depth look at current federal opportunities that exist to support farm to school efforts. Additionally, this discussion will also lift up the case study of Oregon, where a pilot program successfully increased children’s access to fruits and vegetables in schools.

http://www.reversechildhoodobesity.org/content/webinar-sowing-seeds-improving-food-quality-farm-school-programs

Check out this great video from the New Jersey Farm to School Network!

Maria Rodale: Empowering the Next Generation Through Food