Rinehart Orchards supplies about 85 percent of the apples for the County’s schools. The business is part of a growing number of farm-to-school partnerships in the United States.
American public schools feed more than 30 million boys and girls a day. About 20 million of them come from poor families. They depend on federal money for their school meals.
Jeffrey Proulx says most schools do not cook fresh meals anymore.
“We have gone to, really, box-to-oven products. Fully processed, prepared items that are more heat-and-serve. So, we are definitely taking a stretch back to our roots, which is, actually, cooking food.”
Many experts say processed school meals are adding to the nation’s childhood obesity problem. But new government rules aim to make school food healthier. Mr. Proulx says fresh foods make it easier to lower the levels of salt and fat in a child’s diet.
“The way to reach those levels is to prepare it ourselves, and to really control what is in the product by sourcing it ourselves.”
And buying from nearby farms also helps the local economy, says orchards owner J.D. Rinehart.
“That enables us to update our facilities, to buy equipment locally. Keeping the money right here in the region is huge, not only for us but for the people that benefit from us purchasing.”
Mr. Rinehart says it also just makes good business sense.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25