Prevention Research Center at Tulane University

Mary Kathryn Poole, MPH

The Role of Policy in Statewide Farm to School Programs

Photo Courtesy of Greauxing Healthy Baton Rouge Tulane PRC Stock Photo

Presentation to the East Baton Rouge Farm to School Stakeholder Council Thursday, June 26, 2014

Presentation Outline

Farm to School Background

The Need for Farm to

School in Louisiana

SCR 94

Next Steps for Louisiana

What is a statewide Farm to School (F2S) program?

A structured system that increases the use of locally

grown fruits, vegetables and other food products in

school meals and educates students about the

origins of their food

Housed within the state

department of agriculture

and/or education

Farm to School Background

Benefits to Schools:

Increases the use of local foods in school meals

May save money on seasonal items and the costs of

transportation and fuel

Educates students on agriculture and nutrition

Benefits to Farmers:

Increases profits from food sales

Boosts local economy (one study found that every

$1 spent on local food returned a total of $1.86

into the local economy)

Farm to School Background

(McAleese et al. 2007; Joshi et al. 2008; Izumi et al. 2010; Benson et al. 2012; Kane et al. 2011)

36 states have proposed or enacted legislation to

establish or encourage statewide F2S programs.

States with F2S legislation are more likely to have

both:

F2S programs

Increased availability of

fresh fruits and vegetables

in school meals

Farm to School Background

(Schneider 2012; Nicholson et al. 2014)

Examples of state F2S policy areas:

Project initiation and implementation

Budget appropriation for programs, staff and grants

Asset maps and databases of local farmers

Local preference or additional school meal

reimbursements

Pilots and trainings

Events and campaigns

Farm to School Background

(National Farm to School Network 2014)

Examples of state F2S policies:

Florida CS/SB 140 (2010)

established the Florida Farm Fresh

Schools Program to create policies

that promote the use of in local

food in school meals.

Oregon HB 2800 (2011)

established the Oregon Farm to

School and Garden Program and

provided for grants to reimburse schools that

participate in certain F2S activities.

Farm to School Background

Youth consume a large portion of their daily calories

at school. School meals should be healthy and

provide adequate servings of fresh fruits and

vegetables.

Student health status and behaviors in LA:

Almost 40% of LA youth (ages 10-17) are

overweight or obese.

81% of LA high school students eat vegetables less

than two times per day and 76% consume fruit less

than two times per day.

The Need for F2S in Louisiana

(Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative 2011; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2011)

More than 3,800 school districts across the nation are

leading F2S activities.

Only 16 out of LA’s 70 school

districts reported F2S activities

for the 2011-2012 school year.

It is estimated that these 16

school districts spent only 15% of their combined total

school food budget on local food purchases.

The Need for F2S in Louisiana

(U.S. Department of Agriculture 2013)

Barriers Identified from Interviews

Barriers for Schools:

Lack of equipment to prepare local, unprocessed foods

Shortage of staff on site everyday to assist with local

food procurement and communicate with food

providers

Barriers for Farms:

Expensive agricultural certifications and insurance

coverage

Limited certified processing sites for certain items

Lack of uniform regulations (e.g., packaging and price

per portion) for sales to schools

SCR 94 (2014)

Proposed by Senator David R. Heitmeier (D)

Directs the LA Department of Education (LDOE) and

Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) to

implement the following:

A statewide F2S program

A study group to address

existing barriers to F2S

A report must be submitted

to the legislature by February 1, 2015.

Photo Courtesy of Greauxing Healthy Baton Rouge

SCR 94 (2014)

Role of the Prevention Research Center (PRC) at

Tulane University:

Used the America’s Health Rankings to identify the

indicators that contribute to LA’s rank

Conducted policy research on strategies to prevent

obesity, smoking and diet-related disease

Provided information on the benefits of F2S and

other strategies to stakeholders, policymakers and

the greater community

Next Steps for Louisiana

Continue to explore F2S policy options, highlighting

best practices from existing programs and other states

Facilitate discussions and partnerships

between schools, farmers, researchers and

policymakers

Assess the economic and health benefits of F2S in LA

References

Benson, M. & Lott, M. (2012) Strengthening Farm to School Programs: A Policy Brief for

State & Local Legislators. Community Food Security Coalition. Retrieved from

http://wvhub.org/sites/default/files/CFSC_brief_FarmSchool_d3.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2011). Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Retrieved from http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/App/Results.aspx?LID=LA

Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. (2011). National survey of

children’s health. Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health. Retrieved from

http://www.childhealthdata.org/

Izumi, B.T., Alaimo, K., & Hamm, M.W. (2010). Farm-to-school programs: perspectives of

school food service professionals. Journal of Nutrition Education Behavior, 42, 83-91.

Joshi, A., Azuma, A.M., & Feenstra, G. (2008). Do farm-to-school programs make a

difference? Findings and future research needs. Journal of Hunger and Environmental

Nutrition, 3, 229-246.

Kane, D., Kruse, S., Ratcliffe, M.M., Sobell, S.A., & Tessman, N. (2011). The Impact of

Seven Cents. Retrieved from http://www.ecotrust.org/media/7-Cents-

Report_FINAL_110630.pdf

References

McAleese, J. D. & Rankin, L. L. (2007). Garden-based nutrition education affects

fruit and vegetable consumption in sixth-grade adolescents. Journal of the American

Dietetic Association, 107, 662-665.

National Farm to School Network. (2014). State Farm to School Legislative Survey:

2002-2013. Retrieved from

http://www.farmtoschool.org/Resources/State_Farm_to_School_Legislative_Survey

_4_2014.pdf

Nicholson, L., Turner, L., Schneider, L., Chriqui, J., & Chaloupka, F. (2014). State

farm-to-school laws influence the availability of fruits and vegetables in school

lunches at US public elementary schools. Journal of School Health, 84(5), 310-316.

Schneider, L. (2012). Are farm-to-school programs more common in states with

farm-to-school-related laws? Journal of School Health, 82(5), 210.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). (2013). Louisiana. Farm to School Census. Retrieved from http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census#/state/la

Acknowledgments

People

Principal Investigator: Diego Rose, PhD, MPH

Other Contributing Investigators: Adrienne Mundorf,

MPH and Naomi Englar

Funding

CDC, Prevention Research Centers Cooperative

agreement #U48-DP-001948