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Michigan farmers encourage lawmakers to restore 10 Cents a Meal Program for more fresh food in schools

Michigan vegetable growers say the 10 Cents a Meal Program has worked as an essential tool to support local and affordable fresh food in schools for the past decade.

Greg Bird, executive director of the Michigan Vegetable Council, urged the state’s Senate Ag Appropriations Subcommittee for its reinstatement on Wednesday.

“Michigan grows an incredible diversity of vegetables, and we should be using that strength to supply our own schools, especially when children stand to benefit from fresher, shorter supply chain food, and our farms stand to benefit from stable local markets,” he says.

First-generation farmer Phil Raymond, with Blue Mitten Farms in Okemos, says the initiative helped the farm shift from supplying restaurants to schools during the pandemic and expand until it was removed from last year’s state budget.

“Cutting funding that incentivizes Michigan schools to buy from Michigan farmers is cutting the success rate for current farms, those we employ, and the hope for potential future farmers,” he shares. “It restricts access to healthier foods that promote the positive mental and physical health of our future generations and administrators and sends the majority of our dollars out of our communities and state.”

Chef Ann Foundation researcher Megan Fogata McManus says the program has helped drive local procurement, but school staff also need better skills.

“We work with districts across the country to replace pre-packaged, heat-and-serve, ultra-processed foods with fresh, scratch-cooked meals,” she explains. “This requires upskilling cafeteria staff and commercial-scale culinary arts because it takes serious skill to serve hundreds or thousands of meals a day that meet complex USDA nutrition requirements.”

She asked lawmakers to also consider targeted investment or pilot programs for food service technical assistance to better utilize fresh local food in schools.

During the 2023-2024 program, 10 Cents a Meal had record participation with nearly 270 grantees serving almost 600,000 children with local fruits, vegetables, and dry beans from more than 320 food suppliers, including farmers and food hubs.