Procuring Local Foods

Local foods are on the menu for students across the country. Beef and bison in Montana, cherries in Michigan, and radishes in Rhode Island are a few examples. Local procurement in school meals supports local farmers. Students are also encouraged to make healthier choices when provided locally grown options.

The resources on this page will help Child Nutrition Program (CNP) operators buy local. Many of the resources speak to K-12 school program operators. However, the information still applies to child care providers and summer feeding sites.

USDA Publishes Final Rule Expanding Geographic Preference for Child Nutrition Program Purchasing

On April 25, 2024, USDA published the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The final rule includes an expansion of the geographic preference option, which now permits child nutrition program (CNP) operators to use "locally grown", "locally raised", or "locally caught" as a specification when procuring unprocessed agricultural products. The expanded option is effective July 1, 2024. Using geographic preference continues to be an optional and powerful method for procuring local foods for healthy program meals.

New Geographic Preference Resources

• Implementation memo (SP 22-2024, CACFP 08-2024, SFSP 13-2024)
• Question and answer memo (SP 24-2024, CACFP 10-2024, SFSP 14-2024)
• State agency webinar
• Partners webinar

Resources That Will be Updated

Note: These resources will be updated to include information on the expanded geographic preference option, which allows using local as a specification as of July 1, 2024; for more information on this change please see Geographic Preference Expansion Related to the Final Rule Titled, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Guidelines for Americans. 

Documents in their current form provide information on using geographic preference through a scoring system, which is now referred to as a "defined scoring option." However, the content related to the prohibition of using local as a specification is no longer correct.

Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs Guide

The USDA Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs Guide provides 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 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 and DoD Fresh Programs to enhance local purchasing.

• Introduction
• Purpose of the Guide
• Defining and Finding Local Foods
• Menu Planning
• Procurement Principals and Regulations
• Informal and Formal Procurement Methods
• Opportunities to Target Local Producers
• Sections of a Solicitation
• Geographic Preference (out of date)
• Special Topics
• Buying Products From the School Garden
• Buying Local Meat
• Supporting Local Foods in Tribal Schools
• Beyond Lunch: Buying Local Foods for Summer and Childcare Programs
• Using USDA Foods and DoD Fresh
• Putting It All Together
• Comparing Procurement Methods
• Appendices

Finding, Buying, and Serving Local Foods Webinar Series

The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program hosted a series of webinars that showcase a variety of ways school districts can purchase local foods. The series starts with an introduction to basic procurement principles and walks participants through strategies and tactics for procuring local foods.

• Introduction to Procurement
• Conducting a Local Procurement Baseline Assessment
• Finding Local Producers
• Using the Informal Procurement Method
• Using the Specifications, Requirements and Evaluation Criteria to Target Local Products
• Working with Distributors
• Using a Forward Contract
• Introduction to Geographic Preference
• Using Geographic Preference
• Using USDA Foods as Resource to Purchase Local
• Using DoD Fresh to Purchase Local
• Tying It All Together and Digging In

Fact Sheets

• Using DOD Fresh to Buy Local
• Geographic Preference: What It Is and How To Use It
• Selling Local Food to Schools: A Resource for Producers
• USDA Foods: A Resource for Buying Local
• Local Meat in Schools: Increasing Opportunities for Small and Mid-Sized Livestock
• Ranchers and Fishers

See more fact sheets

Policy Memos & Regulations

• Procuring Local Meat, Poultry, Game, and Eggs for Child Nutrition Programs (SP01, CACFP01, SFSP 01-2016)
• Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023: Effect on Child Nutrition Programs (SP 06-2023, CACFP 05-2023, SFSP 02-2023) This memo provides notice regarding the renaming of the USDA Farm to School Program. 
• Local Foods and Related Activities in Summer Meal Programs (SP07, SFSP 07-2016) 
• Crediting Traditional Indigenous Foods in Child Nutrition Programs (TA 01-2023)
• Use of State Administrative Expense (SAE) Funds and State Administrative Funds (SAF) for Farm to School Related Expenses (SP 28-2015)
• Local Foods in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP 11-2015)
• Farm to School and School Garden Expenses (SP 06-2015)
• Procurement Geographic Preference Q&As Part II (SP 03, CACFP 02, SFSP 02-2013)
• Final Rule: Geographic Preference Option – Published April 22, 2011.
• Procurement Geographic Preference Q&As Part I (SP 18-2 011) published Feb. 1, 2011.
• School Garden Q&As (SP32-2009)

Hungry for more information?

Please go to the Farm to School Fact Sheets Page.

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