News

Schools, farmers say restoring Michigan’s 10 Cents a Meal Program would boost economy and student nutrition

Advocates for Michigan’s 10 Cents a Meal Program are asking lawmakers to reconsider funding the initiative to support farmers and students in the next budget.

Northern Michigan vegetable grower and co-founder of the Mi Farm Co-op, Nic Welty spoke about the impact of its elimination last year during a Michigan House education appropriations subcommittee hearing this week.

“With 10 Cents a Meal falling off, our sales in the wintertime have just fallen off a cliff,” he shares.

Food service director Dan Gorman, with the Montague Area Public Schools and North Muskegon Public Schools, says a small investment from the state incentivizes schools to purchase local products and drives development of a new food system.

“It builds that long-term infrastructure that’s so important for a stronger farm economy, more opportunities for small and mid-sized farms, a more resilient Michigan food system, and most importantly, healthier, better food on the plates of Michigan students,” he says.

Through the program, Gorman has helped bring frozen Michigan potatoes to more than 40 school districts.

May Tsupros with the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems says investing $3.5 million in the program during the 2025 fiscal year created nearly $12 million in economic impact.

“It has been impactful to our students, to our parents, to our families, and to our farmers,” they explain. “And because of that, states across the country have utilized the 10 Cents a Meal program as a model in their state.”

Diane Golzynski with the Michigan Department of Education says demand that year increased farm and producer sales by 16 percent.

“The instability of incentive funding disrupts both relationships and supply chains,” she shares. “Most importantly, it disrupts the ability for children to experience and learn about fresh, healthy, Michigan-grown food.”

Great Lakes Farm to Freezer co-founder Mark Coe says his business was developed to support schools utilizing the program. Coe estimates he’s lost up to 200,000 pounds of demand for Michigan produce because of the lapse in funding.

Ten Cents a Meal has been funded by the state for nearly a decade to support schools, early care providers, and organizations participating in USDA Child Nutrition programs to buy Michigan-grown, minimally processed fruits, vegetables, and dry beans.