Farms-to-Schools Program Can Improve Children’s Health

June 20, 2011—House Bill 2800, which creates the Oregon Farm-to-School and School Garden Program awaits Governor John Kitzhaber’s signature, and was one of the few bills to pass this session with unanimous support in both the House and the Senate.

But despite its immense popularity among health advocates, farmers, school districts and elected officials, the program will have to wait another Legislative session to become fully-funded statewide.

Rep. Brian Clem (D-Salem) and Rep. Tina Kotek (D-Portland), the bill's co-sponsors, had requested $27 million, but legislators only appropriated $200,000, which will fund pilot programs at two small to medium-sized school districts.

Those schools will begin using produce grown by farmers in school lunches this fall in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Department of Education. When they buy food from qualifying farmers, schools will be reimbursed seven cents on the dollar from the state.  

School gardens and related educational programs will also be created to teach children about agriculture and gardening.

This is the first time Oregon has contributed funding for school meals with the US Department of Agriculture covering all the costs. In 2009, the Legislature removed a restriction requiring districts to buy the cheapest food they could find.  

Numerous studies and clear evidence show that a child’s health is positively impacted by eating locally grown, fresh and sometimes organic food supplied by area farms.

Upstream Public Health released a health impact assessment concluding this program will not only improve a child’s nutrition, but also their health.

Oregon was one of hungriest states in the country in 2009. Almost a fifth of Oregon children live in poverty, making them eligible for free and reduced school meals. But a third of this population doesn’t eat those meals, and none of these children is likely to eat three meals a day.

Tia Henderson, one of the assessment’s authors, said eating healthier food can improve a child’s attention span and learning abilities. “It’s been known for probably decades that if children are better nourished they’re going to learn better,” she said.

A child’s likelihood of becoming obese, developing Type II diabetes, heart disease and other physical health problems is also reduced by eating healthier food. “Encouraging children to consume more fruits and vegetables can have an impact on weight status,” Henderson said.

“Diet, in general, has a pretty significant impact” on a child’s health, as well as eating habits,” said Mel Radr, Upstream’s co-director.

That gets to one of the highest hopes for the Farm-to-School program: that children will keep the eating habits they develop as adults. “When kids learn how to eat healthy in school age years, they have healthy eating habits that last the rest of their lives,” Radr said.

“The epidemic of obesity in this country begins with the habits you form when you’re a kid,” Clem said. “Having kids feel like berries and carrots are a great snack is going to shape the rest of their lives.”

Learning that happens in the school gardening programs will reinforce the cafeteria meals that children eat, Kotek said. If a child watches a particular vegetable grow from a seed and learns about its nutritional content, they’re more likely to eat it..

“Just putting a beet on a kid’s plate and saying ‘here, eat your beet,’” is not enough, Kotek said.

Advocates have tried to create the program for years, and legislation was introduced in both 2007 and 2009. But lack of money has always been the deterrent. “It was always been about the general fund,” Kotek said.

Despite having limited funding, this program will be effective, Kotek and Clem believe. “It’s a foot in the door,” Kotek said. “It will continue to show the economic impact and eating habits in the schools, and build momentum for the next time around.”

But the assessment by Upstream Public Health warns the program will have limited impact. “Without statewide infrastructure to support Farm to School efforts, limited funding for school meals can offer only inconsistent options to support,” it found.

Clem and Kotek anticipate expanded funding in future sessions. “It’s very popular,” Clem said. “It’s not a partisan issue to want to support farmers and see kids do well.”