Policy

American Farmland Trust and Farm to Institution New York State (FINYS) work to advance policies that help bring more New York grown food into schools and other institutions.

New York Grown Food for New York Kids

Coordinated by American Farmland Trust, New York Grown Food for New York Kids is a coalition of nearly 70 organizations and stakeholders who support increasing access to fresh, healthy, local food for students in K-12 schools. Farm to School is a win-win, improving the health of our children and supporting New York farmers!

This year, we have an important opportunity to get more New York grown and raised food to students across the state. New York’s K-12 schools serve breakfast, lunch, snacks, and afterschool meals to 2.7 million schoolchildren, providing half of their daily calories on average. Incorporating fresh, locally grown food into these meals through Farm to School programs is an effective way to increase access to healthy food for kids and improve their academic performance while offering new markets for New York’s farmers. Since 2018, the Farm to School Grant Program and 30% Initiative have worked hand in hand, promising to lead the nation in helping schools buy more local food.

An October 2025 audit by the Office of the New York State Comptroller found that only 73 out of 762 school food authorities (SFAs) outside New York City are actively participating in the program. Of the 253 SFAs surveyed statewide, 42% reported that the administrative challenges of tracking school lunch costs separately from other meal expenses, like breakfast and snacks, made participation difficult. Consequently, just $2.9 million — or 29% — of the $10 million appropriated to the program was reimbursed during the most recent school year (2024-25.)

Our Coalition Asks:

1. Maintain at least $10 million in funding for reimbursing local food purchases under the 30% NYS Initiative.
2. Maintain funding at $1.5 million for the New York Farm to School grants program to support schools across the state in growing Farm to School initiatives.   
3. Modernize the 30% NYS Initiative by establishing the below proposed framework for the program:

• Include Breakfast and Reimbursable Snacks: Apply the purchasing calculation across breakfast, reimbursable snacks, and lunch to determine eligibility and tier placement.
• Update the Reimbursement Structure: Add 1.5% annual CPI indexing for five years and clarify that eligibility is based on all meals, while reimbursement is paid on lunch meals only.
• Adopt a Tiered Reimbursement Model: Tiered rates paid per lunch meal based on NYS purchasing levels: 30–39% NYS purchases → $0.26 per lunch, 40–49% NYS purchases → $0.28 per lunch, 50% or greater NYS purchases → $0.30 per lunch.
• Safeguard Current Participants with Three-Year Hold Harmless Provision: Existing participants remain eligible for three years during program transition and receive at least the entry-tier reimbursement while eligible to earn higher tiers.
• Ensure Separate and Stable Funding: The 30% reimbursement remains distinct from all other state meal reimbursements to protect program transparency, accountability, and integrity.

American Farmland Trust's “Growing Resilience” 2020 report revealed that in spite of the challenges posed by the pandemic, schools have remained committed to farm to school, and with continued state support, by 2025 these programs can help schools spend $250 million on food from New York farms, generating $360 million in economic activity statewide. These programs will also increase access to healthy, farm-fresh food for 900,000 kids across the state by 2025. At a time when many children face food insecurity and schools have become a primary source of free meals for many hungry New York families, helping schools to purchase and serve more fresh local food to kids is an important way to keep them healthy. 

The 30% NYS Initiative: Designing Opportunities for Access, Equity, and Economic Impact in New York’s Farm to School Incentive Program: In 2018, New York State established the 30% New York State Initiative for Farm to School, a local food purchasing incentive program to encourage schools to buy more food from New York farms. Over the past five years of the program, participation appears to have stagnated; less than 10 percent of New York School Food Authorities (SFAs) have qualified for the initiative since its establishment, and less than a third of the program’s $10 million budget is dispersed each year. This report, developed by American Farmland Trust with National Farm to School Network, digs into the accessibility challenges hindering schools from utilizing the program and offers policy solutions to unlock the Initiative’s potential to feed students healthy, local food and strengthen local farm economies. Read the report here.