Dear Families,
October is National Farm to School Month, and the collaboration between EUSD Child Nutrition Services and EUSD Farm Lab is in full swing! Students recently enjoyed freshly harvested, cooked, and buttered organic sweet corn at lunch. School salad bars consistently offer seasonal successions, including organic lettuce, carrots, broccoli, and beets - all of which are grown at Farm Lab. Additionally, thousands of pounds of organic paste tomatoes were harvested this summer and have been roasted and transformed into a sauce that will accompany scratch-made pizza and pasta dishes throughout the school year.
EUSD’s farm-to-school efforts began in 2013, and Farm Lab is home to the first certified organic farm owned by a school district. Growing our own seasonal produce has helped transform school lunch into scratch-cooked, fresh, and healthy. Farm-to-school has also led to increased student awareness of food systems, provided access to local, organic produce, and increased willingness of students to try new foods. Our nationally recognized farm-to-school program earned an innovation award from the Center for Ecoliteracy in 2019, and was highlighted in a webinar on transforming food systems in 2020.
As the farm has grown, Farm Lab shifted from traditional organic farming practices to a full regenerative agriculture model. They received Real Organic Project certification in 2021. The way EUSD farms saves water, increases biodiversity, produces more nutrient-rich food and sequesters higher carbon levels than traditional farming methods. Other farm-to-school environmental benefits include no packaging, minimal processing, and produce travels only 2.3 miles to the central kitchen.
The Farm to School program in EUSD provides highly nutritious food, builds healthy eating habits, minimizes the district’s carbon footprint, and shows our deep commitment to wellness and sustainability. Healthy soil. Healthy planet. Healthy kids!
Sincerely,
Julie Burton, Coordinator Farm Lab & Lea Bonelli, Director of Child Nutrition Services
