Jun 15, 2021 to Jun 17, 2021
The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Child Nutrition Program will be administering $250,000 in collaboration with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) for a farm to fork Utah-grown school meal incentive program.
This program aims to improve school meal quality and support Utah farmers during the 2021-2022 school year. Money will be paid out to schools as part of their per-meal state reimbursement. School districts that spend a higher portion of their funds on unprocessed Utah-grown food products will receive a higher per-meal state reimbursement.
Each year, Utah school and childcare centers serve over 88 million meals and snacks to children. As cost is a major barrier cited by both schools and farmers as to why more minimally processed Utah-grown fruits, vegetables, grains, and meat are not included in school meals, this program serves to overcome that barrier and increase access to fresh, locally grown foods.