ABSTRACT
Locally grown foods, through Farm to School (FTS) activities, may be a key component to balancing foodservice budgets and alleviating financial constraints in school districts. Therefore, using data from the 2013 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm to School Census, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of local food expenditures on school foodservice revenues and earnings. Although the results initially showed a negative impact of local milk and non-milk expenditures on foodservice revenues from food sales, when combined with revenues from the federal government, the impact is positive. In addition, the positive effect of local milk and non-milk items seem to hold when adding foodservice revenues from both food sales and federal funds. The study found a similar pattern for foodservice earnings. This may indicate that competitive foods are still widely prefer in school districts, and as a result, FTS local food-related activities and educating students and parents are an ongoing effort in order to increase participation in local food consumption. In addition, revenues from the federal government is pivotal to maintain FTS activities viable to students and community members although, on average, the federal funds combined with food sales may not cover total foodservice expenditures.
