Florida Farm to School Programs
FloridaFarmtoSchoolPrograms
The 2012 Educational Program Committee is pleased to share conference educational materials with you under the condition that they are used without alteration for educational and non-commercial use only. All materials are protected by copyright law. The authors kindly request their work is properly cited, including the date of publication. For more information on Small Farms, visit our website at: http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu or contact your local County Extension Agent. For inquiries about this topic, please contact: Danielle Treadwell, Educational Program Chair. Phone: (352)-273-4775 E-mail: [email protected] Suggested Citation: Author Full Name. Title of Presentation or Handout. 2012 University of Florida-IFAS and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University-CAFS Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference. July 27-29, Kissimmee, FL.
Farm to School Florida
Intro
The Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is responsible for ensuring that every child in Florida has access to a nutritious meal that is full of fresh fruits and vegetables through outreach, partnerships, education, oversight to ensure quality and compliance, training & technical assistance.
History
In January 2012, the state’s school food and nutrition program moved from the Department of Education to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, under the leadership of Commissioner Adam Putnam.
Since then, the Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness has been working with National School Lunch Program participants to assist in enhancing their Farm to School efforts and meet the new meal pattern requirements set forth by USDA this past January.
Common Menu
The Division is working with the School districts throughout the state to commonly menu produce from Florida based on the harvesting timeline of Florida Product.
The Division will have a weekly featured Florida-grown product that will be served in the lunchroom.
Lunchroom posters will be provided to each of the participating schools to teach children about proper portion size for fruit and vegetables, the locations where the featured produce item is grown, educational facts about the featured produce item, and the look of the produce when it’s growing in the field.
The Division is also working on educational items, recipes and facts to be distributed to parents and the community through retail partners.
Weekly Featured Produce
September4th CucumberSeptember10th NoFeaturedItemSeptember17th OkraSeptember24th NoFeaturedItemOctober1st OkraOctober8th SquashMedley(squash,zucchiniandpeppers)October15th EggplantOctober22nd SnapBeansOctober29th CauliflowerNovember5th PepperNovember12th NoFeaturedItemNovember19th NoFeaturedItemNovember26th Cabbage December3rd SpinachDecember10th TangerineDecember17th NoFeatureItemDecember24th NoFeaturedItem
Florida Grown Products Purchased in School Districts
Florida Grown Product Approximate Dollar Value SpentAVOCADO $4,278.29BEAN, GRN $86,653.75BERRIES $249,861.00CABBAGE GREEN $60,351.00CANTALOUPE $283,155.00CAULIFLOWER $73,074.00CELERY $412,575.00CORN, SWEET $57,592.00CUCUMBER $1,033,068.35GRAPEFRUIT RED $10,942.00LETTUCE $3,724,139.00ORANGE $1,347,493.00PEACHES $109,286.69PEPPER $329,272.00POTATO $281,320.00SPINACH $466,455.00SQUASH, YLW $222,099.00TANGERINE $386,432.00TOMATO $1,615,185.00WATERMELON SEEDLESS $28,625.00Totals $10,781,857.08
Statewide Produce Bid
In an effort to assist school districts in obtaining the best produce at the lowest possible price, FDACS is preparing to release a statewide procurement for fresh fruit and vegetables
Procurement will be based on crop harvesting timelines in Florida
Growers may obtain a copy of the bid document once it has been published by contacting Christie Meresse in the Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness at [email protected]
Bids will be separated by region
The 1st Procurement will consist of 13 Florida grown agricultural products
October through December Cabbage (Red, Green) Snap Beans
Cauliflower Spinach
Sweet Corn Squash, Yellow
Cucumber Tangerine (Sunburst, Murcott)
Eggplant Tomato (Cherry, Grape, Vine Ripe, Round)
Orange (Hamlin, Navel) Zucchini
Peppers (Red, Green, Yellow, mini sweet)
Optional USDA GHP-GAP Audit
Audit requirements will vary based on the distributor that is currently in the region where the school district is located.
Most require a minimum of a USDA certification or GHP-GAP certification
Growers can request USDA GHP-GAP audits from the FDACS Division Fruit and Vegetable’s Bureau of Inspection by filling out the 237-A form available at the USDA’s website (http://www.ams.usda.gov) or by requesting one directly from FDACS. For more information on USDA GHP-GAP audits contact Scott McClure, Barry Gaffney or David Durbin at (863) 297-3900
The cost per audit is $92 per hour per audit, plus travel
The length of time involved in an audit depends on the size of the grower’s operation and level of preparedness. Travel time depends on the grower’s location and the location of the nearest available USDA auditor.
Market Maker
Our intent is to work with the University of Florida and utilize their existing technology to connect Florida school districts and farmers. We will be working on upgrading the capabilities of Market Maker.
Market Maker is an online database that will allow schools to identify nearby growers who have the specific produce that they need
Posting of opportunity buys We will be working with the Districts to
register on Market Maker and we need farmers to register on Market Maker. Go to http://fl.marketmaker.uiuc.edu/