Washington (AP)-The American agricultural department ends two programs from pandemic, which made schools and food banks available to buy more than $ 1 billion for the purchase of food from local farmers and producers.
Around 660 million US dollars went to schools and childcare centers to buy food for meals via the program of local food for schools. A separate program provided food banks.
In Maine, the money enabled the Coastal RSU 23 School District to buy food directly from fishermen, milk producers and farmers for school meals, said Caroline Trinder, director of the district’s food and nutritional services.
“I think everyone can say that they want children to receive the healthiest meals at school,” said Trinder. “It is least processed and we help our local economy, we help farmers that are parents of our students.”
The reductions will affect the school districts with “chronically underfinanced” school house budgets, said Shannon Gleave, President of the School Nutrition Association.
“This loss of money is not only the advantages of losing our children, but is also a big blow for farmers and cattle breeders from the community and disadvantageous on school meal programs that are trying to manage the increasing food and labor costs,” said Gleave in a statement.
USDA said that the programs are a legacy of pandemic and no longer supports the agency’s priorities.
“The Covid era is over -the approach from USDA to nutritional programs will reflect this reality,” said a USDA spokesman in an explanation.
Massachusetts received a federal financing of around 12 million US dollars for school districts and childcare programs to buy food from local producers.
“The signaling that has come from Washington in the past few weeks is obviously deeply disappointing,” said Patrick Tutwiler, the state’s education secretary. “There is a clear misalignment of what is essential and what is essential. We see this cut of the LFS program as the first step towards deeper cuts. “
School nutrition directors are prepared for potential rollbacks of programs that have expanded financing for school meals, which can be their only reliable food source for some children.
The proposed output cuts to finance the tax invoice of the Republican includes increasing the poverty level required for the school, which is universally free meals without applying. The limitation of the authorization for food aid programs and the requirement of the income check for free or reduced award winners, two suggestions for the cost reduction, would probably also reduce authorized families from access to food, said the school nutrition association.
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