Guest Post: USDA’s new “Harvest to Hallways” school food initiative falls short of needed investments
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), an NSAC member, and was authored by Nora Shields-Cutler, IATP’s Program Associate for Community Food Systems. The original post is available on IATP’s website.
While the initiative announcement makes some encouraging promises, the amount of funding doesn’t come close to the $ 1 billion of local school food funding canceled in 2025.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its “Harvest to Hallways” initiative this week, outlining approximately $ 125 million in investments and support for school nutrition. While we’re encouraged to see public investment in school meals, these investments don’t come close to covering the $ 1 billion that states lost when the administration canceled the Local Food for Schools (LFS) funding last year. The administration …