This year, we have an important opportunity to get more New York grown and raised food to students across the state. New York’s K-12 schools serve breakfast, lunch, snacks, and afterschool meals to 1.7 million schoolchildren, providing half of their daily calories on average. Incorporating fresh, locally grown food into these meals through Farm to School programs is an effective way to increase access to healthy food for kids and improve their academic performance while offering new markets for New York’s farmers. Since 2018, the Farm to School Grant Program and 30% Initiative have worked hand in hand, promising to lead the nation in helping schools buy more local food.

In SY23-24, 11.5% of SFAs across the state qualified for the 30% Initiative, spending over $9.6 million on local foods and generating over $13.7 million in economic impact. Still, due to the program’s sole focus on lunch, over half of the state’s allocated funding is reappropriated annually, leaving money on the table rather than directing it toward schools, farmers, and communities. In total, there are only 73 SFAs that are spending at least 30% of their total lunch food costs on NYS Food Products, based on 2023-2024 Purchases.

Research from American Farmland Trust has identified a critical issue in the program’s structure: its exclusive focus on lunch creates an administrative barrier to school participation—especially larger city schools where a more racially diverse student body that often faces food insecurity. This limitation restricts student access to healthy, local food throughout the school day. We must expand the Incentive program to ALL school meals, which will increase student access to nourishing local foods and support New York farmers, while empowering more schools to reach 30%.

Policymakers in Albany are currently working to negotiate the state budget. Act NOW to ask your state representatives to support funding for New York’s Farm to School programs and expand the 30% incentive to all school meals to realize the full potential of our Farm to School programs in New York.

1. 1. Expand the 30% Initiative to include ALL meals served under the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs and maintain at least $10 million in funding for reimbursing local food purchases.
2. 2. Increase the reimbursement rate for the 30% Initiative from 19 cents to a rate of 25 cents per lunch.
3. 3. Maintain funding at $1.5 million for the New York Farm to School grants program to support schools across the state in growing Farm to School initiatives.   

With just one click on the “Take Action” button, enter your information and send a customizable letter directly to your state representatives in support of strong funding for these critical programs which improve the health of our children and support our state’s farmers!