New Jersey Advances Bill To Bring Farm-Fresh Food To Schools

New Jersey’s  Assembly recently passed a bill that would make it easier for schools to serve fresh, locally grown food. 

Bill A3742 is sponsored by Assemblyman Roy Freiman (D-Hunterdon), Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy (D-Mercer), and Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis (D-Hunterdon), which would reimburse school districts for the cost of purchasing fruits, vegetables, grains, and other products from New Jersey farms.

A $4.5 million appropriation is included to launch and sustain the pilot initiative, expanding local purchasing programs by creating a regular, statewide system that provides needs-based financial support to overcome common barriers.

“It’s letting kids know that these farms are right in their area. It’s letting kids know that they can access outside of school, where they can go and access it, or potentially get a job in the future. It’s a win-win all the way around, because it just helps the local economy,” said Debby Norz,  a farmer in Norz Hill Farm located in Somerset County, New Jersey.

Norz highlighted the impact that this bill could have on school food programs around New Jersey. She recalled reaching out to schools when the federal farm-to-school program began, helping them access funding and connect with local farmers.

Norz was able to provide beef, pork, and vegetables to the local high school in Hillsborough and also integrated other local farmers, where they also provided notes on where each item came from. 

Hillsborough High School is equipped with a scratch kitchen, providing fresh meals using food from the farm. Their kitchen, in particular, is equipped with tools such as steam tables where they can serve locally sourced sweet corn. This can make an encouraging effort to show the students where their food comes from and enjoy the fresh, homemade food, Norz said.

Norz Hill Farm, so far, has also worked with the Manville school district to provide their students with fresh local foods around twice a month, depending on the school’s menu. 

Freiman, who represents farm-rich counties such as Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset, discussed how the farm-to-school bill aims to not only connect New Jersey schools with local farmers to improve nutrition but also to support the farming community in a new way.

As the former chair of the state Agricultural and Food Security Committee, this bill can be a way to connect students and farmers who are looking to expand and change the way people shop for food, he said.

“[When] students are getting better nutrition, it shows in health,” said Freiman. “[It] changes how people start thinking about where food comes from. And it also helps the local farmer. It helps the community. It helps sustain that whole cycle.” 

Through this initiative, schools can apply to the Department of Agriculture for reimbursement, acknowledging that purchasing from local farms can be more complex and costly. The goal is to help schools offset those expenses and encourage participation in the farm-to-school program.

Jeanine Cava, executive director of the New Jersey Food Democracy Collaborative, emphasized that this bill would be a continuation of a similar USDA program that was cut short by the Trump administration. 

“Research shows that every $1 spent on local foods in schools generates between

$1.40 and $2.8 in local economic activity—a strong return on public investment.” Cava said.

The local agricultural system is something that Cava mentioned should be taken seriously, as they are a significant economic engine for the state. The bill is about more than just school meals, but also preserving New Jersey’s farms, she said.

“ You go to a farmers market, maybe you stop at a roadside stand, but farmers are not surviving from that. They need this kind of institutional support. They need buyers. They need healthcare buyers. They need, you know, these big institutions that get a lot of taxpayer money, that some of that taxpayer money should be used to purchase food from our local farmers,” Cava said. 

She emphasized the need for steady and stable institutional buyers, where an opportunity for lower-income districts can have an infusion of local, fresh, and diverse produce. Cava noted that kids start to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables when they have consistent farm-to-school programs in their lives.

If more people knew about the bill and contacted their lawmakers, it would already be on its way to becoming law, Cava said. The bill is awaiting passage in the state Senate, where it has not moved since December.

“For food security, for the agricultural aesthetic and culture of the state, and health and economic reasons, this is a multiple bottom-line solution,” she said. “It just seems like a no-brainer.”