Farm to School & MN Thursday Featured
Farm to School
Nutrition Services supports farm to school through local food procurement, food and agriculture education and farm to school activities like Minnesota Thursday and celebrating Farm to School Month.
What are the benefits?
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Farm to school education exposes students to a wide variety of new foods and encourages adventurous eating. Minnesota Thursday is one example of how local foods are incorporated into our menu.
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Farm to school activities build community around the foods we eat and offer hands-on learning experiences that allow us to learn from each other.
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Farm to school procurement supports the local economy with our food dollars!
Learn more about the benefits of farm to school.
How does it work?
At SPPS Nutrition Services, we proudly support local agriculture by sourcing fresh fruits and vegetables through trusted produce providers who work directly with Minnesota farmers. Local foods are requested through our vendors and procured via our annual Invitation to Bid (ITB) process, ensuring transparency and quality.
Once harvested, produce is delivered from local farms to a processing facility, where it is prepared and packaged to arrive fresh and ready to use in our schools. This farm-to-school partnership helps us serve seasonal, locally grown produce while strengthening our regional food system and supporting Minnesota farmers.
Minnesota Thursday
This is a long-running tradition in Saint Paul Public Schools. Typically landing on the first Thursday of the month, we offer locally grown products such as fresh fruits, vegetables, beef and turkey. We define local as less than 200 miles from Saint Paul.
Minnesota Thursday gives Saint Paul Public Schools the opportunity to partner with local farmers and producers and incorporate a farm to school approach into our menu. Stay tuned to our social media accounts for our next Minnesota Thursday where we highlight the local products and the farms they came from!
