Local School Foods Expansion Act of 2025
The Local School Foods Expansion Act of 2025 would transform a prior pilot program into an ongoing federal program under the National School Lunch Act to procure domestically grown, unprocessed fruits and vegetables for healthier school meals. The bill expands the scope from a single pilot project to multiple projects across states, increases the number of participating projects, and requires states to meet certain commitments to support local and minority-owned farmers, tribal producers, and communities with higher shares of socially disadvantaged students. It establishes mandatory funding for the program through 2030, sets aside funds for administration and technical assistance, and requires regular evaluation and reporting to Congress. In addition to expanding procurement, the bill strengthens oversight and data collection on costs, benefits to school food service, producer economics, and participation barriers, with a formal evaluation due within two years and a comprehensive report within four years. The overall aim is to boost the availability of fresh, locally grown produce in schools, support domestic agriculture, and improve the nutritional quality of school meals.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a permanent program (not just a pilot) to procure domestically grown unprocessed fruits and vegetables for school meals, expanding the previous pilot framework.
- 2Increases the scope from one pilot project to at least two projects located in one or more states, broadening geographic reach and participation.
- 3Adds state-level criteria for participation, prioritizing commitments to support small, local, and socially disadvantaged farmers; support for Tribal producers and communities using traditional foods; and serving high shares of children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
- 4Provides mandatory funding of $25 million per fiscal year from 2026 through 2030, with earmarked funds for administrative costs and technical assistance; includes a minimum annual allotment of $500,000 for each participating state.
- 5Requires ongoing recordkeeping, reporting, and a formal program evaluation within two years (covering quantities, costs, benefits, producer economics, barriers, and eligibility) and a congressionally transmitted evaluation report within four years.
- 6Creates a provision to reserve funds for nonparticipating states to help with eligibility and technical assistance if participation is limited (e.g., fewer than 14 participating states).