There are some cool things going on in New Hampshire. Specifically, their Farm to School program.
A quick About –
The NH Farm to School (NHFTS) Program was established in 2003 as a pilot program to introduce local apples and cider into NH K-12 schools. Within three years, over half the K-12 schools in the state were purchasing them for their cafeterias!
Check out some of their initiatives and see the most recent report.
Schools are purchasing a more diverse array of local foods. While apples – NHFTS’s original “crop” when it launched in 2003 – and tomatoes remain the most popular items, schools are also purchasing corn, cucumbers, beans, blueberries, maple syrup, beef, eggs, and fish.
Despite economically tough times, schools continue to spend hundreds of dollars each fall on local food. Forty percent of the schools surveyed spent between $100 and $499 on local food in fall 2011, and 26 percent of schools spent more than $1,000.