Local Food Takes Center Plate on School Meals

Julie Raway, MPH, RDN, CDN, SNS, FAND

November 2, 2021

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Fresh sweet corn picked the day before, flavorful crunchy apples right from the tree, and milk produced within miles of school districts is what students are enjoying for lunch in schools across New York State. Through the program, NY Thursdays, schools are bringing farm-fresh local food into the cafeteria for students to eat a locally sourced lunch.

New York is home to over 33,000 farms, 98% of which are family-owned (USDA 2017 Ag Census) and milk is the #1 product, and a big part of NY Thursdays! In addition, New York is plentiful with apples, cabbage, corn, green peas, potatoes, squash, and tomatoes. Farm animals such as cows and chickens, are also a large part of NY agriculture. It is many thanks to farmers who are partnering with schools that enables tasty fresh foods to be on school lunch trays!

The farm to school movement continues to grow as schools not only in New York but across the country work with local farmers to expand local food in the school cafeterias. Let’s take a look at some of the delicious offerings in New York:

Baldwinsville Central School District

This delicious lunch from C.W. Baker High School in the Baldwinsville Central School District features a fruit and yogurt parfait made with NY yogurt and offered with NY mozzarella string cheese. Students get to crunch on NY apples and cucumbers! Each meal also comes with a selection of NY milk. While this photo is from the High School, all eight of the schools in the district offer this well-balanced popular lunch that students enjoy!

Binghamton City School District

Twice a month, students in the Binghamton City School District enjoy NY Thursdays. One example is homemade chicken mac and cheese using with local NY chicken and NY cheese. This comfort food is offered to students throughout the school year and a favorite with students of all ages! Accompanying the dish is a local NY Apple, NY Green Peas, and NY Milk. What a tasty lunch!

Brighton Central School District

Brighton Central School District offers a fruit and yogurt parfait with homemade granola. In addition, students can select fruits, vegetables, and a NY milk to enjoy as well! Brighton Schools also offer a variety of individual yogurts for another great grab and go option each school day. This nutrient dense lunch is delicious and convenient!

Buffalo City School District

The Buffalo City School District celebrates NY Thursdays throughout the school year with a variety of local foods. This featured meal of NY beef goulash, fresh salad with hydroponic NY lettuce and kale, NY apple slices, and NY milk is offered in all buildings for students to enjoy. Yum!

Hamburg Central School District

Hamburg Central School District offers an easy delicious grab and go meal with NY yogurt, NY mozzarella string cheese, harvest apple kale salad made with NY apples and kale, NY apple, NY concord grape apple juice, and NY chocolate milk. This flavorful lunch is tasty!

As you can see, school meals have come a long way! Whether your child enjoys meals at school or not, we hope you’ll thank your school nutrition staff for their hard work!

Julie Raway, MPH, RDN, CDN, SNS, FAND

Julie is a Registered Dietitian and School Nutrition Expert. Since 2009 she has led the Rock on Cafe™ School Meals Program, a service of Broome-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in Binghamton, NY, that aims to enrich the educational process by providing a quality child nutrition program. Julie works with food service directors to ensure school meal compliance with federal regulations while also facilitating media relations and grants with community partners. Under her leadership this program has received national recognition from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for creating healthier school meals.

After earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Nutritional Sciences from Cornell University and attending Syracuse University completing a Dietetic Internship, Julie earned a Master of Public Health from the University at Albany to further expand her work into community health. Through her education and experience, Julie is a recognized nutrition professional. She is the recipient of the 2011 “30 Under 30” award from Food Service Director Magazine and received the 2011 Recognized Young Dietitian of The Year Award, 2014 Isabelle A. Hallahan Award, and the 2015 Media Excellence Award all from the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She also volunteers her time as Farm to School Chair for the New York School Nutrition Association and is a Past President of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Julie regularly speaks at various state and national conferences inspiring others to create healthy school meals and environments where students can learn and grow.