The Local Story Behind the School Lunch Tray

Picture that plastic school lunch tray. A scoop of vegetables in one compartment, something hot in another, maybe a piece of fruit tucked off to the side. Across the Southeast, there’s an effort to put more food from closer to home into some of those compartments.

October is Farm to School Month in Alabama, with similar efforts celebrating local food and agriculture underway in Georgia and Florida.

Since 2020, Alabama lawmakers have put nearly $2.2 million into the state’s Farm to School incentive program. In that time, schools have spent more than $5.9 million buying from local farmers and served more than 14.3 million meals featuring Alabama products.

Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate says it’s about more than local food on a lunch tray. It helps kids understand where their food comes from while creating another market for farmers.

The Alabama program also takes agriculture beyond the cafeteria through school gardens, farm field trips and classroom activities.

Learn more at agi.alabama.gov/fts.