A fresh idea

An article in today's New York Times discusses the rising national interest in replacing standard school cafeteria fare with fresh foods supplied by local farms:

At a time when many school cafeterias are still serving traditional, mass-produced food, Middlebury has replaced "mystery meat," canned vegetables and other institutional menu staples - the butt of freshman-year jokes for generations - with locally raised chicken and lamb, and heirloom tomatoes, emerald green broccoli and plump ripe strawberries grown within a few miles of the campus.

Middlebury is not alone in serving food that did not come from far away and out of Costco-size cans. From the University of Montana to public schools in Tallahassee, Fla., officials at more than 200 universities and 400 school districts are supporting a farm-to-cafeteria movement to build their menus around fresh local ingredients. And students are cheering instead of complaining.

But it's not just about taste. Fresh produce and meats are healthier than mass-produced foods, and that can help improve children's health and alleviate childhood obesity:

"Children's obesity issues have highlighted the farm to school program," said Marion Kalb, director of the national farm to school program for the Community Food Security Coalition. "It appeals to taste as well as nutrition and how to get kids to change their eating habits."

Plus, the article notes that rising oil prices make this a good time to consider transitioning to local farm-to-cafeteria programs, because long-range food distribution may become economically unsustainable.

In the South, we have a lot of farms. We also lead the nation in childhood obesity rates and other children's health problems. We should consider adopting farm-to cafeteria programs throughout the region, and urge the Department of Agriculture and state agencies to increase funding for such initiatives.