Access to Healthy Food

Farm-to-School Site Visit

Seattle, Washington, May 17th and 18th, 2006

Updated August 21, 2006

The National Conference of State Legislatures and the Community Food Security Coalition organized a site visit in Seattle, Washington, on May 17 and 18, 2006, to gather legislators and staff from Washington, Montana, Mississippi and Kentucky, to learn about farm-to-school policies and programs. These programs connect schools with local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting local farmers. The farm-to-school model is expanding rapidly; programs are based at more than 400 school districts in 23 states. Policy support on both the state and federal levels can help ensure that these programs can expand to other areas where they are needed and remain successful for the long-term.

This project was supported by the Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, USDA, Grant # 2005-04310.

A hearty thank you to all of the sponsors of the farm-to-school site visit who donated funds or food products to make this meeting truly reflect the local food environment in Washington State.

Following are some of the speaker presentations for the Farm-to-School Site Visit

Other Resources:

NCSL's Healthy Community Design Legislation Database contains summaries of bills that focus on strategies that increase access to healthy food and opportunities for including physical activity into one's daily routine.

The Community Food Security Coalition has numerous resources on all aspects of farm-to-school programs. Click here for more.

The National Farm-to-School site contains information on programs around the country, as well as news and announcements.

A few states that participated in this site visit have their own farm-to-school laws. Please see below for some examples.

New York has done a lot of work on this issue and has a few laws that deal with Farm-to-School issues. Click here for the text of these laws.

Kentucky House Bill 669 from 2006, which requires state agencies to purchase Kentucky-grown agricultural goods, became law on April 24, 2006. Please click here for a link to the law, KRS 45A.645.

Two pieces of legislation from Washington state have become law that aid Farm-to-School efforts. The first was House Bill 1984, Chapter 3 of the 2001 laws, which set up a direct marketing assistance program. Please click here to view this law. 

The second was House Bill 2657, Chapter 166 of 2002 laws. This law encourages all state and local agencies to buy Washington agricultural products when possible. Please click here for the law. 

The site visit participants took a drive to Full Circle Farm, outside of Seattle, to learn more about their unique work with school districts and their Community Supported Agriculture program.  

The small farm and direct marketing program that operates through the Washington State Department of Agriculture strives to connect farmers and producers with new markets for their goods.

The Washington State University King County Extension office is doing important work on farm-to-school programs, nutrition education, and general food systems work.

TT Minor Elementary School is located in Capitol Hill in Seattle and has a number of innovative programs dealing with nutrition and healthy food. Please see the second page of this document for a profile of TT Minor Elementary.   

For the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) evaluated the policies for foods and beverages that are sold in schools through vending machines, school stores, fundraisers, and a la carte foods. CSPI looked at nutrition standards for foods and drinks, and the grade levels, hours, and locations on campus to which the states' policies apply. Please Click Here for the report