Schools dish up a local lunch

Published 9:24 pm Sunday, September 26, 2010

SEATTLE — Parents, school officials, farmers and even kids would like to see more fresh vegetables on the lunchroom table, but the logistics of getting produce from farm to schools are complicated.

One challenge is fresh vegetables are expensive, even if they come from local farms. With tight school lunch budgets, spending a few extra pennies on an apple can be out of reach.

Some schools are featuring Washington-grown items on their menus this week as they participate in Taste Washington Day this Wednesday.

Tricia Kovacs is in charge of the state’s Farm-to-School Program, which was created in 2008 by legislation intended to make it easier to get more local food into school cafeterias.

Supporters of getting more fresh produce in school lunches concede it can be difficult.

“The things that are stopping people are real challenges,” Kovacs said. “But we also are learning every day ways school districts and farms have found to overcome some of them.”

Some districts have made more progress than others.

Olympia spends 30 percent of its produce budget buying directly from local farms. La Conner students drink smoothies made from local strawberries and eat apples from the Skagit Valley. Food-services manager Georgia Johnson said the district is hoping to buy its own cows next year.