Advocacy Update

ASBO met with the New York Grown Foods for New York Kids (NYGFFNYK) coalition last week to discuss the group’s 2019-20 priorities and to discuss the policy agenda and timeline for the upcoming year.  ASBO shared the following concerns and suggestions with the group based on responses from our members:

Concerns:

• Local foods are often more expensive than general foods

• Farmers will not always deliver to remote school districts

• Reaching the 30 percent threshold is difficult

  • Districts have already increased local purchasing

  • Meeting the threshold for just the lunch portion will be difficult and the paperwork to breakdown and track the lunch use of locally grown foods only will be overwhelming
    
    

Suggestions:

• Provide funding to bridge the gap in costs for local v. general foods

• Encourage the expansion of the Farm to School Grants

• Provide an incentive for BOCES to hire regional Farm to School Coordinators

• Offer funding for agriculture and markets to come up with a comprehensive buying list for NY products

• Continue current funding stream to support the current 30 % incentive

• Include breakfast and ala carte items

• Increase nutrition education support at all levels of instruction

The coalition will take these concerns and suggestions into consideration for their policy agenda. The coalition also provided an update on the Farm to School Program from the 2018-19 state budget that increased the reimbursement for school lunch items purchased from local farms. The Division of the State Budget is working on developing the guidance for this program and has yet to determine how the 30 percent reimbursement will be calculated. ASBO will notify members when more information is available.

ASBO New York is an active member of the NYGFFNYK coalition; a group of nearly 70 school, farm, public health, environmental and anti-hunger organizations and stakeholders throughout the state who support fresh and healthy foods to be served in schools.