In Harrisburg on Tuesday Oct 7, the Keystone Fresh Act was the topic of a joint hearing of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Education Committees. Representative Danilo Burgos, sponsor of HB 1768, kicked off the hearing with remarks, followed by Chairman Eddie Pashinski and three groups of panelists who voiced their support for the bill, explaining how it would positively impact Pennsylvania students, farmers, and economies.
If passed, the Keystone Fresh Act will establish the Fresh Schools Grant Program. This program will provide schools with substantial funding to purchase, promote and serve Pennsylvania-grown products in their meal programs. This bill will also establish two additional grants specifically designed to address common challenges related to procuring local food for school meals. The Keystone Producer Grant will provide funding to farmers and food aggregators for equipment and marketing needs, while the Keystone Assistance Grant will provide funding to nonprofits and higher education institutions to provide technical assistance for schools to incorporate more minimally processed products.
“Schools across Pennsylvania serve more than 168 million lunches per year, providing critical nutrients to children across the state and making them one of the largest potential markets for agricultural producers in Pennsylvania.” stated Representative Danilo. Burgos, “However, school food service providers reportedly only spend 9% of their total food costs on local foods.”
Several panelists underscored the timeliness of this bill in the context of declining federal funds. As noted by Caryn Long Earl, Director Bureau of Food Assistance PA Department of Agriculture, this includes a $13M cut from the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program, as well as dramatic cuts to SNAP and WIC funding. When asked how Pennsylvania schools and food banks are fairing in the face of these financial setbacks, she summarized, “it’s a challenge”. The loss of these federal funds only makes legislation like the Keystone Fresh Act more necessary.
Donna Robbins, Chief Financial Officer and Kelly Price, Director of Food Services at Manheim Township School District and Scotty Miller, Farm Manager at Masonic Village share testimony.
Other panelists shared experiences that demonstrated how when these types of programs are implemented and funded, PA farmers and communities benefit. Scotty Miller, Farm Manager at Masonic Villages described how the PA Beef to PA Schools program, run by the PA Beef Council, pays for 50% of the total cost of the beef that schools purchase – cutting the expense for schools in half. “The grant funding allows us the opportunity to be able to move ground beef and to keep all of our beef fresher for everyone,” explained Miller, “I also really love that we’re selling our beef to the school I graduated from.” Beyond a purchase of food, these programs invest back into PA people, land, and products.
As almost all panelists noted, the Keystone Fresh Act is most directly an investment in Pennsylvania’s students. Joseph Edmondson, Culinary Arts Instructor and Director of Food Service at Columbia Montour Area Vocation Technical School, shared a vision for what serving local food in school meals could look like.
Crystal Hampton-Davis, Owner of Davis Grown Farm in Schuylkill County, Gage Monroe, High School Senior and Joseph Edmonson, Culinary Arts Instructor and Director of Food Service at Columbia Montour Vocation Technical School after sharing their testimony.
“Imagine your local cafeteria serving apples grown in Adams County, dairy from Lancaster County, and beef raised just a few miles from the school itself,” stated Edmondson, “Students do not just eat better; they gain state pride, environmental responsibility, and an understanding of the economic importance of keeping dollars local. That lesson will stay with them far beyond the lunch line.” Joseph’s testimony illustrated that when schools buy local food, students gain more than nutrient rich, fresh products, “These are not just purchases, these are partnerships that connect our classroom, our cafeteria, and our community together”.
Legislators shared their support for the idea of incorporating more local food in school meals and expressed gratitude to the speakers for the work they do in their communities. “I come from a farming family…my husband’s family has had a vegetable farm for years and they have always done the roadside stand…I absolutely love the overarching idea of this. We all know anyone that comes from a farming background, or if you don’t your going to your local farmers markets, we know it’s a better taste and it’s a better quality”, said Representative Charity Krupa (R).
Word cloud generated from written testimony submitted in support of the Keystone Fresh Act.
House Education Chair Peter Schweyer (D) shared his support by saying “research shows when children have full stomachs they perform better in class. The Keystone Fresh Act would be a win-win for our farmers selling their fresh produce and our children to eat healthy and continue on their paths to success.”
Gage Monroe, a senior at Columbia Montour Area Vocation Technical School in Bloomsburg enrolled in the Culinary Arts Program, gave a first hand account of the benefits this policy would have. “As someone who has spent their entire life surrounded by the benefits of quality meals, I can say that buying local is important for the quality of our food. It allows cafeteria staff to take pride in what they serve, students to feel proud of what they eat, and you — our legislators — to take pride in making a lasting difference.”
In addition to the support voiced in this hearing, the Keystone Fresh Act has a growing grassroots and institutional backing. More than 80 organizations statewide have endorsed the bill, including the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, and the School Nutrition Association of Pennsylvania. The Keystone Fresh Act will undergo more hearings and amendments before a possible House vote in mid-November.