A new resource is available to help schools locate and acquire more local foods for their school nutrition program. The Make it Fresh: Guide to Procuring Local Foods was developed and created by the Iowa Department of Education Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services through Iowa’s FY20 Team Nutrition grant.
Filled with tips, testimonials, best practices and easy-to-follow steps, this guide will help child nutrition programs procure local foods by providing information on where and when to purchase local foods, how to determine the amount to purchase, food safety practices to consider and how to apply procurement methods when procuring local foods.
The guide is an excellent resource for creating a procurement plan and getting started. Schools can access the guide and supplemental documents by visiting the Iowa Department of Education’s Farm to School website.
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