Schools look for ways to buy locally grown food

By E.B. FURGURSON III, Staff Writer

Published 07/30/09

Schools across Maryland are taking the first steps to include more locally grown food in their cafeterias, but it will be a long, bumpy road to get there, participants in a conference in Crownsville learned yesterday.

J. Henson - The Capital
TOP: State Department of Agriculture staffers Jane Storrs, Amy Crone and Rocco Costa sample lunch made from locally produced products at yesterday’s farm-to-school conference. The meats were from Baltimore County, breads from Baltimore bakeries and produce from Eastern Shore.
BOTTOM: Lunch featuring local produce and products was catered by A Cook's Cafe.

Still, there was a clear determination to do what it takes to get more local food into schools, not only for its nutritional benefits for children, but also as a boon to farmers and local economies.

"Maryland Farm to School: A Ripe Opportunity" was how one presenter put it.

"We really look for people who are asking how, not why," said Jane Storrs of the Maryland Department of...

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Food cost - 2009-07-30 19:42:44

school cafeterias are enterprise funds and do not depend on depend on the school budget.All money comes from meal costs, Federal funding and ala carte items.

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M. Donnell - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

Cost is priority - 2009-07-30 17:48:51

The cost of the food is the main priority. The constant demand for more money for education should be for educational materials, teacher salaries, school repairs or building, not spending more for local produce, bread, etc. This is the last thing that needs to be on the list of priorities for the school system.

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Thomas Frankowski - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral