Zwicker, Turner Bill Would Create Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program

TRENTON — The Senate Economic Growth Committee advanced legislation sponsored by Senator Andrew Zwicker and Senator Shirley K. Turner to create the Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program.

“No student should have to go to school hungry, and no farmer should struggle to make ends meet here in the Garden State. Establishing a partnership between schools and local farms to tackle food insecurity and provide healthier meals for children will improve nutrition for thousands of students while boosting our local economy,” said Senator Zwicker (D-Middlesex/Mercer/Somerset/Hunterdon). “This program will support two of the most vital groups in our state — the students who represent our future and the farmers who sustain us.”

“More than 250,000 children in New Jersey face food insecurity, a reality that often leads to poor nutrition, childhood obesity, and lower academic achievement. We have a responsibility to ensure that all students have access to nutritious meals at school so they can focus on their studies,” said Senator Turner (D-Mercer/Somerset). “As the ‘Garden State’ with a rich agricultural heritage, New Jersey should invest in our local farmers to eliminate childhood hunger and create healthier communities.”

The bill, S-1637, requires the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to establish and operate the Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Program. The grant program’s goal is to provide sufficient reimbursement to eligible school districts so they can implement modified or expanded local food procurement programs to increase the amount of local foods served to students.

“Local food” would be defined as any raw, whole, or minimally processed fruit, vegetable, herb, meat, seafood, legume, or grain that is 100 percent grown, raised, or caught in the State or in State waters, regardless of where the distributor of such food is located. It does not include fluid dairy milk.

Under the bill, a permanent fund would be established to allocate funding proportionally among eligible school districts based on a funding formula, developed by the Department of Agriculture. To determine the share received by a school district, the formula would consider factors like the size of the district, number of students eligible for school meals in the district, how the district expects to use the grant funds, and whether the district is in a food desert. School districts would submit an attestation form to the Department of Agriculture to receive funding.

The committee advanced S-1637 in a 4-0 vote.