A state pilot program is encouraging schools to buy local food

A one-year state pilot program is encouraging school food service programs to purchase and serve more ingredients and products sourced from local farmers and small businesses.

Thirty-three schools or school districts received grants to participate in the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Program, including Center Point-Urbana — a rural school district in Linn and Benton counties — and Xavier Catholic Schools in Cedar Rapids.

Incorporating locally sourced food helps combat school lunches’ historically “bad rap,” said Brenda Wyse, food service director for the Center Point-Urbana Community School District.

“I personally have made it my goal to get a fresh fruit or vegetable at all schools every day. Certainly, local produce helps me achieve that,” Wyse said.

The pilot program was authorized during the 2024 legislative session and is an initiative of Choose Iowa, the state’s branding and marketing program that identifies and promotes Iowa grown, made and raised food, beverages and agricultural products.

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Eligible products that can be purchased include meat and poultry, dairy products other than milk, eggs, honey and produce. Funding for milk is available through a different federal program.

The pilot program has a total budget of $70,000, and each school was eligible to apply for up to $1,000 per school building.

Selected schools are required to provide a minimum one-to-one financial match. For example, a school receiving $1,000 must provide at least $1,000 from other sources for a total of $2,000 spent on local foods through the pilot program.

“This Choose Iowa pilot program is yet another way we’re connecting Iowa farmers and small businesses with schools to provide fresh, local, and nutritious food to our students,” Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, said in a news release last month. “This one-year pilot program saw strong demand from interested schools that far exceeded the available program budget.

“As Choose Iowa continues to expand, we will work to open even more opportunities to connect local producers and school food programs. Choose Iowa’s membership is growing quickly and is already demonstrating how it can be a powerful tool for strengthening and growing our rural communities,” Naig said.

Michelle Kenyon, executive director of Field to Family, said the pilot is a “welcome program,” but it does not fill the gap created earlier this year with the canceling of the USDA Local Foods for Schools program.

Field to Family is a nonprofit food hub based in Iowa City that acts as a distributor for more than 70 local producers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture — under new leadership appointed by the Trump administration — in March abruptly canceled programs that provided local food to school children and food pantries.

“That was a $2 million investment and didn’t require a match,” Kenyon said.

Wyse said she planned to receive $4,000 for the 2025-26 school year from the federal Local Foods for Schools program before it was canceled.

While she’s thankful for the $1,000 from the state, not receiving federal funds to purchase local foods “will hurt,” she said.

Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Program will enable the district to continue purchasing local foods. “Otherwise, I don’t know if we could afford to do that,” Wyse said.

Wyse is using $1,000 from the school district’s existing nutrition fund to match the state grant, she said.

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