1090The Brazilian farm-to-school regulatory policy: local governance correlates

Background We explored whether local governance tools related to participatory democracy were associated with a better implementation of a farm-to-school regulation, which states that 30% of procured foods for the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (BNSFP) must come from family farming. Methods Longitudinal study with data on federal transfers to all Brazilian municipalities (n = 5.570) for the BNSFP from 2011 to 2017. The outcome was the percentage of those transfers used to procure foods from family farming. Participatory democracy measures included the presence of sectoral school feeding program councils and adherence to the National Food and Nutrition Security System (NFNS). Models were adjusted for total federal transfers to support family farming; the importance of federal transfers to the local economy; changes in land coverage devoted to family farming; municipal gross domestic product, and population size. We employed year and municipality fixed-effect linear models with clustered standard errors at the state level. Results Procurement from family farming rose from 16.5% [95%CI 16.0,17.0] in 2011 to 32.2% [95%CI 31.0, 33.5] in 2017. The presence of local sectoral school feeding program councils and local adherence to the NFNS were associated with a greater increase in the percentage of foods procured from family farming. Conclusions Local participatory democracy was associated with a better implementation of the farm-to-school regulation in Brazil. Key message Local participatory democracy measures influenced the implementation of the Brazilian national farm-to-school regulation. Our findings can help inform similar policies in other countries.

Testing the Effects of Two Field-to-Fork Programs on the Nutritional Outcomes of Elementary School Students From Diverse and Lower-Income Communities

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the effects of two farm-to-school programs, specifically the Field-to-Fork Multi-visit Program ( N = 264) and the Field-to-Fork After-school Club ( N = 56), on nutritional outcomes of elementary school students (third to fifth grade) from urban, diverse, and lower-income communities. Data were collected via self-report surveys measuring: (a) knowledge of recommendations for daily fruit and vegetable intake; (b) fruit and vegetable consumption; (c) knowledge of cooking a healthy recipe using vegetables; and (d) desire for farm fresh foods at school. Statistical analyses included McNemar’s and Wilcoxon signed rank tests. The proportion of students knowing how to cook a vegetable rich recipe increased with both programs (Multi-visit Program p < .001; After-school Club p = .002). Vegetable consumption increased with the After-school Club ( p = .002). Farm-to-school programming can increase knowledge of cooking vegetable rich recipes and vegetable intake among elementary school students from diverse, urban, and lower-income communities.

Measuring Factors Associated with Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Rural 4th Grade Students

Objective: Rural youth are more likely to be obese and have poor diets compared to their nonrural peers; therefore, our objective was to understand factors related to healthy eating habits in this population. Methods: We used survey data from 4th graders (N = 995) in a Midwestern state’s rural areas to explore nutrition knowledge, fruit or vegetable (F/V) attitudes, beliefs, preferences, and previous day’s consumption. We produced descriptive statistics, compared attitudes, beliefs, preferences, and consumption for fruits versus vegetables using multilevel linear regression, and used multilevel logistic regression to assess predictors of F/V consumption controlling for sociodemographic factors. Results: Fruit and vegetable consumption was low, with over 10% reporting no fruit consumption and over 20% reporting no vegetable consumption. Students rated fruits higher than vegetables on each variable of interest. Knowledge (OR = 1.2) and liking fruits (OR = 2.2) were associated with fruit consumption. Knowledge (OR = 1.2), liking vegetables (OR = 2.4), and vegetable preferences (OR = 1.4) were associated with vegetable consumption. Conclusions: Schools should implement interventions that increase access and exposure to healthy foods and target knowledge, attitudes around liking F/V, and vegetable preferences for rural youth, such as nutrition education, school gardens, and farm-to-school programs.

The Feasibility of Farmer-Led Cooperatives for Southwest Florida Farm to School Procurement

Florida’s K–12 schools provide a potential opportunity to increase market channel options for small- and mid-sized diversified farms, but processing, storage, and distribution resources are extremely limited for smaller producers. This 9-page document serves as a model and case study with steps for producers and other stakeholders to conduct a feasibility study before forming a cooperative to sell local fruits and vegetables to schools and other institutional food-service outlets. Written by Jonathan Adam Watson, Danielle D. Treadwell, Catherine Campbell, and Ray Bucklin, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, March 2021.