Meal Pattern Minute: Sourcing Local Foods

In the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), CACFP operators are encouraged to include local foods and agriculture-based curriculum in family child care homes and in early childhood education and care settings. By serving local foods and nutrition education, CACFP providers are creating and promoting a healthy environment to those in their care. Also, purchasing local can support local and regional food systems. Where can a CACFP provider locate and purchase local foods to prepare and serve in their meals and snacks?  

 Tune in to this Meal Pattern Minute as Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS, RDN, LD, gives a few ideas on where CACFP providers can procure local foods in their area.  

There are many types of foods that be procured locally, however, it’s important to know the regulations behind procuring local foods. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed a resource for all Child Nutrition Programs called USDA Procuring Foods for Child Nutrition Programs. This includes “an overview of federal procurement principles and covers a host of topics related to sourcing and purchasing local foods for state agencies and child nutrition program operators. This guide highlights the variety of ways schools and CACFP operators can purchase local products while staying in accordance with federal procurement regulations. The guide features examples of how to target local foods when conducting both formal and informal procurements to use the geographic preference option and use the USDA Foods to enhance local purchasing.”  

Here are a few factsheets for quick information on purchasing locally to share with others and save in your files.  

• Farm to Preschool: Local Food and Learning in Early Child Care and Education Settings
  • This fact sheet discusses how farm to school isn’t just for K-12 institutions; an increasing number of early child care and education providers are engaging in farm to preschool activities. The term “farm to preschool” encompasses efforts to serve local or regionally produced foods in early child care and education settings; provide hands-on learning activities such as gardening, farm visits, and culinary activities; and integrate food-related education into the curriculum.
• Integrating Local Foods into Child Nutrition Programs
  • Defining local foods can vary from community to community and program to program. This fact sheet walks through the steps of starting a farm to school program; from developing a plan to tips for building sustainability into your program from the start. 
• Geographic Preference 
  • This fact sheet reviews the topic of geographic preference and how it can be used to purchase local foods.

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