Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, with the chairs of the Assembly committees on Agriculture and Education, is hosting a roundtable discussion in Watertown on overcoming barriers to getting more local farm products into our school lunch programs.
Russell, chair of the Assembly Task Force on Food, Farm, and Nutrition Policy, said this issue is especially important to North Country farmers and school officials because of the particular needs of small, family farmers and rural school districts.
“Enabling smaller farmers and rural districts to work together to bring local food into the cafeteria doesn’t just make good economic sense,” Russell said, “it’s also a great way to promote good nutrition and an awareness of the importance of the agricultural industry.”
The roundtable discussion will bring together representatives of schools, agriculture, food businesses, academia, and the relevant government agencies to examine the barriers and opportunities for increasing the amount of locally-sourced, New York farm products found in schools across the state. With nearly 480 million meals served annually to New York children through the National School Lunch and Breakfast program - which provides more than $1 billion in federal reimbursements and more than $30 million in state reimbursements to school districts - the potential for increased purchases of New York grown, produced, and processed foods is significant.
“In New York we have world-class agricultural products and farmers who are tireless in their efforts to provide for their neighbors across the state,” Russell said. “What we need now is to make it easier for those farmers to work with schools to give our children access to that high-quality food. I’m excited by the opportunity to meet with stakeholders on this issue and work on real solutions that will better position New York’s farmers and students for the future.”
The roundtable discussion will be held on Dec. 9 in the first floor meeting room of the Dulles State Office Building, 317 Washington Ave., Watertown. Please contact Russell’s office for more details at (315) 786-0284 or (518) 455-5545.