Partnering Farm to School with the USDA Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program

Partnering Farm-to-School with the USDA

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

National Farm to Cafeteria Conference March 21, 2009

Funding for the NH Farm to School program is provided by the NH Charitable Foundation and the UNH University Office of Sustainability. www.nhfarmtoschool.org

Overview of Presentation

•History of NH Farm to School (NHFTS)

•Connecting NHFTS with the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)

•Linking nutrition and FTS education with FFVP

•Questions and discussion

UOS Food & Society Initiative

•NH Farm to School is a program of the Food & Society Initiative of the UNH University Office of Sustainability (UOS), one of four initiatives

•UOS works to integrate sustainability across UNH’s CORE – Curriculum, Operations, Research, and Engagement

UOS Food & Society Initiative

Examples of Food & Society Projects include:• NH Farm to School• Local Harvest Initiative• Dual Major in EcoGastronomy• Organic Dairy Research Farm• NH Center for a Food Secure Future• And more…

Purpose and Goals of NHFTS

•Connect NH farms and farm products to NH classrooms and cafeterias.

•Develop a healthy, community-based, community-supported school food system.

What does NHFTS do?

Facilitate: Help negotiate simple, affordable systems for purchase of NH grown and produced foods by K-12 schools or food management companies.

Inform: Create, collect, and distribute support and educational materials tailored for individual stakeholders and program partners. Provide and present information on how to integrate farm to school connections into curriculum and school policies.

Engage: Work with stakeholders and media to enhance the visibility and effectiveness of farm to school efforts.

History of NHFTS• Established in 2003

• Funded by a three-year USDA Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Grant

• Focused on NH apples and NH cider/statewide distribution

• Introduced NH apples and cider into over half of the state’s K-12 schools

History continued• 2006: Started the Get

Smart Eat Local 10-District Pilot Project to link two NH counties with fresh produce

• Worked with local distributor and local wholesale farmer to connect to schools

• 2008: Began work on the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to make the link to farm-to-school

What is the FFVP?

Pilot Program 3 years ago in 12 states2 years ago expanded to 24 states

Spring of 2008 program made permanent and offered to all states

Why FFVP?

Provide access to fresh fruits and vegetables by underserved student populations

Not a substitute for lunch or other reimbursable meal costs (this will be discussed further)

How does FFVP work?

• School selection: Eligible schools must have a minimum of 50% free/reduced lunch participation and must be an elementary school• Submit an application with an action plan for the FFVP funds

• NH FTS was invited into the planning process and ensured that a connection to FTS was part of the application process

Funding

•Funds are distributed to the school based on number of students

•Allocation is between $50-$75/student•Hilltop Elementary School: 135 students - $9635.28 •NH allocated $71.37 to each student•Approximately $1.75/student/week

Operating Rules

•Fresh fruits and vegetables only with minimal processing and handling

•Food can only be served outside of the lunch period; it cannot be used as a substitute

•10% of costs can be allocated to administration

How does FTS get involved?

FTS programs have a golden opportunity

•NH schools alone have approx. $700,000 in leverage for buying local

•NHFTS received a NH Charitable Foundation Grant based on the “leverage” from the FFVP

How does FTS get involved?

As mentioned, NH FTS worked on the planning of this program and we have been able to use FFVP as a springboard for connecting schools to local farmers

School gardens!!!!!Partner with local high school

agriculture program to grow food for the elementary school

How does FTS get involved?

The greatest part of this is that the FFVP has engaged the teachers on a daily basis and allowed our FTS

program to work with them

FFVP and FTS in the school

Farmers/Distributors•Wholesale•Business model•CSA model •Get them “hooked” on the FFVP and then it can expand to the rest of the school food system

FFVP and FTS in the school

Nurses

Food Service

Finance

Local Partners

Administration

Guidance

Teachers

Farmers/Distributors

And…

Hilltop Elementary SchoolSmall public elementary school on the seacoast of NH (135 students)

%60 free/reduced lunch

FFVP and FTS in the school

Met with Hilltop wellness

committee (which included

teachers, nurse, FSD, and

principal)Pre-planned

FFVP and FTS in the school

School Nurse

Took lead on the FFVP

Created newsletters, headed up wellness

committee, made getting the food very easy for classrooms

FFVP and FTS in the school

Local Partners

Small, local market that is invested in the

community

FFVP and FTS in the school

Food ServicePurchasing

PrepDistribution

Monthly Wellness themes

FFVP and FTS in the schoolTeachers

Keep it simple – teachers have enough to do

alreadyHaving a dietetic intern is amazing!

Teachers have to be involved from day

one!

FFVP and FTS in the schoolTeachers

Working with a population of over 50% free/reduced - these kids are

hungryThey are seeing an

impact on foods brought into school

FFVP and FTS in the schoolGuidance

•Making the home connection

•Helping “picky eaters”•Kids are better at recognizing healthy foods

•Kids are excited about new foods

•“Passion fruit is like monkey throw-up” story

•Their opinion mattered

StudentsFFVP and FTS in the school

So what do students think?

Why is it important to buy local food?

“Local food is fresh food, instead of

old food.”

They all had just tried plantains…

“they are better than French fries”

I asked them to design a FFVP

Rainforest foods – learn about natural sugars

Food tasting stand instead of a Lemonade

stand- Give everyone a

chart to fill out (foods they like, foods

they dislike)

UNH Dietetic Interns: Promoting Healthy Eating

via theFresh Fruit & Vegetable

Program

The New Hampshire

FFVP Nutrition Education Initiative • Summer collaboration

• Changing the Scene

• Implementation steps

• Results

• Resources

• Future plans

SchoolStaff

Farm to School

DOE

UNH Office of

Sustainability

Keene State Dietetic

Internship

UNHDietetic Internship

Summer 2008 Collaboration

Cooperative Extension

Changing the Scene Conference

The Taste of Nutrition: August 13, 2008

Dietetic Internship Programs

UNH Durham

UNH Keene State

& UNH Dietetic Technician Program

STAFF

• Costs of poor nutrition & inactivity exposed

• Children spend over 2000 hrs/year in school

• Nutrition makes a difference in school performance

+++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2008 Project Fresh Univ. Maryland

• Repeated exposure to food and taste testing increase fruit and vegetable consumption

http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/pdf/Learning%20Connection%20-%20Full%20Report%20011006.pdf

2004 The Learning Connection

Implementation Steps• Department of Education & Identification of Schools • Cooperative Extension to provide Interns with overview of program and provide time to begin materials development

• Include review of age- appropriate lessons for children.

Dietetic Interns

Dietetic interns have completed a 4yr undergraduate program in nutrition

Diet Technicians are in an Associates degree program.

Engaged in course work and hands on experience in hospitals, food service and community settings

Work with Cooperative Extension Nutrition Connections and school staff directly.

Worked with school staff coordinator, classroom teachers and food service staff as part of Nutrition Connections

Require presence of classroom teacher or mentor & evaluation of work

Implementation Steps

Typical Support from Dietetic

Students 6 to 8 week affiliation for the students.

1 to 2 days a week with Nutrition Connections staff.

Interns may work in pairs or individually.

The School System and Nutrition Connections staff work with the schools to determine interventions, schedules, and assessment

strategies.

The school food service help in the execution of the planning of taste tests, recipes, etc.

•Health Fairs

•Wellness Days

•Fruits and Vegetable

Kick offs

•Name that Fruit

•Name that Taste

•Recipe Challenges

•Fruits and Vegetables in

the Context of Culture

Tasting Nutrition

Hilltop School

Somersworth NH

Manchester School District

Implementation

Small and Large School Experiences

Steps for ImplementationDietetics Educational Activity Log

  Day Taste testing Y=Yes N= No

Classroom Teaching Y= Yes N=No

Number of Students Reached in Classroom

Grade Level

Teacher Inservice

Describe Cafeteria Activities if Applicable

Describe Other School Activities if Applicable

Week 1 1

               2

             Week 2 1

               2

             Week 3 1

               2

Teaching and Tasting

0100200300400500600700

Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6Week 7Week 8

Program Week

Numbers of Students

Teach

Taste

Results from UNH Durham

Teaching and Tasting

Dietetics

Over 450 students reached in the classroom

Over 1450 taste testing events

Over 300 hours from interns

$ 4,500.00 of in-kind dietetics

services

Results

Teaching and Tasting

Additional Support

Department of Education

Cooperative Extension

School Dietitian

Teachers

School Food Service

Results

Results from Manchester

“ I continue to hear wonderful comments about the FFVP.. ”

“ In fact, we went to 4 schools in last week to sign those schools up for the Family Book

Bag Program.

Those principals are so thrilled about FFVP that they agreed to sign up for Family Book Bag Program. This is something that

they wouldn't ordinarily consider..”

Sue Sheehy, RD, Nutritionist Manchester Public

Schools

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Fruits and Vegetables

October

November

December

January

Numbers of Types of Fruits & Vegetables Served

Statewide Results from 20 of 23 Schools

• 100% perceived positive reactions by students

• 60% collaborative involvement with teachers and nutrition education

• 25% report more parent involvement and support with promoting/encouraging fruits and veggies

Statewide Results from 20 of 23 Schools

Activities/techniques utilized in FFVP

84 % Bulletin Boards

53 % MyPyramid Posters/Activities

26% Changing the Scene Curriculum

16% Nutrition Connections Curriculum

10% USDA Team-up at Home Handbook

Statewide Comments

“This program is the best. My kids (in my classroom) don’t complain

about being hungry anymore and are welcome to just get a snack whenever they want to…It’s a

blessing”

… “ It is easy to see the excitement and more children are asking for fruits and vegetables each day…actually leaving some of the non- nutritious snacks in their bags and opting for more healthy choices that many parents in this school could not afford.”

Requests for Additional Guidance

68% Ideas for serving new or unusual items

58% Recipes to send home to parents

48% List of what is in season

21% Clarification of program guidelines

16% How to utilize operating expenses

10% How to utilize administrative costs

Eat a Rainbow of Fruits and Vegetables

Every Day!

Resources UNH Modular Bulletin Board

Christine Livsey

UNH Dietetic Intern 2008

Eating fruits and vegetables from every color group gives your

body the vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy.

UNH Modular Bulletin Board

Christine Livesey

UNH 2008

Yogurt is made from milk.

Cheese is made from milk.

Milk, yogurt, and cheese have protein and calcium.

Other foods have calcium too.

Orange juice with added calcium, soybeans, broccoli, and spinach have calcium.

Brittany Oberdorff

UNH Dietetic Intern 2008

Resources UNH Modular Bulletin Board

2-3 Times a WeekDance

Do Push-UpsDo Crunches

2-3 Times a WeekDance2-3 Times a WeekDance

Olivia Pires

UNH 2008

Resources UNH Modular Bulletin Board

Resources Keene State Bulletin Board

KSC 2008 2009

c

Resources Keene State Bulletin Board

KSC 2008 2009

c

Resources

3 and 4 5 and 6

NH Farm to School http://www.nhfarmtoschool.org/

teachers.html

Community Food Security Coalition

http://www.foodsecurity.org/

Resources

Future Directions• Advocate for Nutrition Education as an integral part of the FFVP

• Advocating for expansion of FFVP to middle and high school

• Implement FFVP farmer-distributor-school program and extend to cafeteria

• Need direct research with children and families

Nutrition Education Contacts Elaine Van Dyke

Bureau of Nutrition Program and Services

EVanDyke@ed.state.nh.us

Debbie Luppold RD, LDUNH Nutrition Connections

Debbie.Luppold@unh.edu

Karen Balnis RD, LDKeene State Dietetics Program

kbalnis@unh.edu

Joanne Burke PhD, RD, LD UNH Dietetics Program joanne.burke@unh.edu

Sue Sheehy, RD, LD Manchester Public Schools

suesheehy@aol.com

Contact:Joanne Burke, Joanne.Burke@unh.edu

Nathan Duclos, nduclos@unh.eduElisabeth Farrell, El.Farrell@unh.edu