The Legislature unanimously passed legislation yesterday that will help bring Washington grown foods into Washington schools. Receiving less than half of the funding it required for full implementation, however, Senate Bill 6483 will fail to bring its bounty to some low-income and urban students.
The Seattle P-I stated yesterday that the bill works to “relax food-purchasing regulations to allow schools and state-run institutions to buy fresh produce and meats from Washington farmers — even if locally grown products cost a little more than their processed or canned counterparts.”
According to Priorities for a Healthy Washington, the bill will help support local farmers and farms, help children have access to farm fresh food, and will help decrease energy use and waste.
In addition, states the P-I, “the measure creates a number of pilot programs and grants that would allow food banks to accept local produce, allow farmers markets to accept food-stamp cards, and pay for Washington-grown fruits and vegetables to be served at schools where more than half of students get free or reduced lunch.”
The bill passed with $1.5 million attached to it for implementation — $2.5 million less than the bill’s supporters originally asked for. Passing with less than half the necessary funding means that only 25 schools will receive assistance from the aforementioned grants, and “571 schools with 50 percent or more of their students on free or reduced lunch might not be able to participate in the program,” according to the P-I.
Supporters of the bill told the P-I that the passing of the bill was the most important part and that the State can increase funding at a later time. Read the full story here.
Filed under: Community News
