Make a Local Food for Schools Program Permanent
Feed our kids. Support our farmers. Strengthen our communities.
Local food purchasing programs have already connected New Jersey schools with New Jersey farmers bringing fresh, locally produced food to students while creating valuable markets for farms.
But these programs have depended on temporary private and federal funding. Schools and farmers can't build lasting purchasing relationships around funding that may disappear from one year to the next.
S1650/A1492 would change that by establishing a permanent Local Food for Schools program within the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, with stable, predictable state support.
How Local Food for Schools works
The idea is simple: provide schools with dedicated funding to purchase food grown and produced in New Jersey.
Schools get resources to buy local food → New Jersey farmers gain reliable institutional customers → students get more fresh, locally produced food.
Instead of sending school food dollars out of state, more of that spending supports New Jersey farms and food businesses.
Proven Success: $1 million invested. $1.24 million in local food activity.
In spring 2026, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture made $1 million available to school districts to purchase local food from New Jersey producers. The results show how targeted public investment can connect schools with local food while creating new market opportunities for New Jersey farms.
343
school districts opted into the initiative
$957K
in grant funding spent
96
New Jersey producers supplied local food alongside 5 local food aggregators
$1.24M
in total reported local food activity
including $240,000 in economic activity beyond the initial $1 million in grant funding
In just a few months, the initiative connected hundreds of school districts with New Jersey producers and helped turn public investment into broader economic activity across the local food system.
Now, New Jersey has an opportunity to build on those results. A1492/S1650 would establish a Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to help school districts offset the cost of purchasing local foods, with $4.5 million appropriated in the legislation.
Built in New Jersey, for New Jersey
The proposed program was shaped with input from the farmers, food hubs, school districts, and other partners who participated in previous local food purchasing programs. Their experience helped identify what worked, what didn't, and what a permanent New Jersey program needs to succeed. S1650 also includes improvements based on input and questions from the NJ Department of Agriculture.
The result is a program designed around the realities of New Jersey farms, New Jersey schools, and New Jersey's food supply chain.
Local Food for Schools Coalition Members
NJ School Nutrition Association
NJ Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey
New Jersey Farm Bureau
The Common Market
Zone 7
Lima Family Farm
Add your organization’s name here!
Why does New Jersey need a permanent program?
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Predictability for NJ farmers
Farmers need to know that markets will exist before they plant, hire workers, purchase equipment, or expand production. Stable funding makes long-term planning possible.
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Reliability for NJ schools
Schools need consistent programs and purchasing resources to build relationships with local suppliers and incorporate more New Jersey food into their menus.
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A program NJ can shape
A permanent program gives the ability to build a program around our own farms, schools, supply chains, and priorities rather than depending on the availability/rules of temporary outside funding.