(WKYT) – Senate Bill 5, which passed unanimously, will make it more flexible for child nutrition programs to purchase food directly from local farmers while making school lunches more nutritious for kids.
Last year, Stepping Stone Farm in Paris was partnering with around 15 local school districts, but after USDA funding stopped, the farm was only partnering with about two, according to co-owner Ally Vallandingham.
While that funding was not restored, Senate Bill 5 could make it easier to get those local goods back into school cafeterias.
“Now with this, hopefully the red tape is down and we are able to partner and bring back those partnerships we had in the past,” Vallandingham said.
Bill tackles competitive bid requirements
Vallandingham said the bill tackles competitive bid requirements that bigger companies may have been more likely to win before. But funding still won’t be there.
“It does not have a specific funding for the farm to school program where it did in the past, so funding for this will have to come from the general dollars, so it’s not as good as that grant, but it’s a step in the right direction,” Vallandingham said.
For Mackenzie Wright with Jones Brothers Farm in Gallatin County, she said they’ve wanted to partner with their local schools for a while now, so Senate Bill 5 will be a big help to them.
Wright added as a mom and a former AG teacher, when kids know exactly where their fruits and vegetables are coming from, they’re more likely to eat them.
“At the end, isn’t that the goal is to create healthier kids with healthier food products? Whether they’re involved in raising it or they’re able to take a school farm tour. A lot of local farms are starting to move into that to help that connection between the food you actually see in your cafeteria line, where does it come from — they’re gonna eat it more,” Wright said.
Since the bill was signed by Governor Beshear, it’s on track to be set in stone by law.