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School meal funding emphasized during Senate’s whole milk hearing

A food service director says funding school meal programs is the best use of federal dollars.

During Tuesday’s Senate Ag Committee’s hearing, Michigan’s Dan Gorman testified about federal school meal programs which provide nearly 30 million lunches and 15 million breakfasts daily.

“Those 45,000,000 meals every day include fruits and vegetables grown by American farmers, meat from American ranchers and producers, and milk from American dairies,” he said. “It funds food manufacturers, food distributors, and provides meaningful work to lunch ladies across the nation.”

Gorman stressed the need to support local food systems at USDA and through nutrition assistance.

“The cutbacks that have been talked about around agriculture are very hurtful,” he said. “Investing in small agriculture is essential for national security. A resilient nation requires strong small farms, and these programs build that resilience, they must continue.”

Gorman highlighted how USDA farm-to-school grants at Montague Area Public Schools have jumpstarted local supply chains, but recent cancelation notices have been crushing.

Several Democratic Senators during the hearing urged members of Congress to protect nutrition funding and USDA school meal programs.