School food programs often rely on Big Food suppliers that ship processed ingredients from manufacturing facilities long distances before arriving in school lunchrooms. Yet, it turns out that procuring many core ingredients from local farms and food suppliers can be relatively inexpensive and easy to do.
I’m joined by Jill Shah on The Doctor’s Farmacy this week to discuss the power that school food programs can have over our local agricultural, economic, community, and environmental health. I’m a huge advocate of farm-to-school programs because ultimately kids win, farmers win, and local communities win.
Jill Shah is the President of the Shah Family Foundation, which supports innovative and transformative work where education, healthcare, and community intersect in the city of Boston. The foundation’s primary work and support is centered on Boston’s schools and community organizations, with the goal of sharing broadly the programs and solutions that prove successful. Jill’s civic interests include healthy food in schools, food access in high-needs neighborhoods, rigorous and successful public schools for all kids, and a deeper collaboration between education and healthcare around issues of physical, mental, emotional, and social health.
loved it
I think Jamie Oliver tried to get schools in the path to using real food instead of pre-made microwave foods, and school administrations treated him like he had three heads.