This document discusses the history of school gardens and nutrition programs in the United States from the late 19th century to present day. It traces the development of school gardens, Victory Gardens during World Wars, and the rise of national nutrition programs in the mid-20th century. However, it notes that current large-scale food procurement policies prioritize industry profits over student health, and do not support local agriculture or nutrition education. Alternative models focusing on local, sustainable foods and educational activities like school gardens are proposed.

2.  “A Community of Gardens” – role of community gardens in
US during war, economic depression, and recession
 Example – Victory Gardens
 First school garden – 1891; Boston
 Nationwide movement – 75,000 school gardens by 1906
 Way to get children outside,
physical activity, teamwork…
 Gardening classes –
agricultural training
 Various subject taught
in garden

6.  1914 – Federal gov. established Bureau
of Education’s Office of School &
Home Gardening – How To’s
 The School Garden Army – WWI
“A garden for every child, every child
in a garden”
 Important contributors to war
gardens – $1,000’s in produce
 Promoted schools that sold locally
grown fresh fruits and veggies

14.  Post-war housing boom 1950s-60s – increased interest
 USDA – Urban Garden Program in 1976 to grow food in
major cities
 Concern for disconnect between children and nature –
unaware of where there food comes from
 1970s – Community Garden movement
 Rising food prices
 Increased environmental awareness
 Desire to revitalize neighborhoods plagued by crime
 Turned vacant lots into productive green spaces

16.  1946 National School Lunch Act
 1966 Child Nutrition Act (Breakfast, summer)
 1980 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
 1983 Foods Minimal Nutritional Value
 2002 Farm Act Fruit/Veggie Pilot
 2004 Child Nutrition & WIC Reauthorization Act

17.  Mission: “promote the health and well-being of the
Nation’s children”
 More than 100,000 Schools
 28 million lunches a day / 5 BILLION lunches a year
 94% of ALL schools (avg. 60% participation in NSLP)
 Food based vs. nutrient based
 Studies suggest link – NSLP and overweight children
 Low income children participating
in NSLP:
 2/3 of participants
 More affected by obesity

18.  Students receive “SURPLUS” of Agriculture
 Policies originally addressed malnutrition due to poverty
 Same policies have contributed to obesity rates by
encouraging excessive eating at school
 Often consume more calories than needed
 Children can decline
certain parts of the meal
(i.e. fruits and vegetables)

19.  Children’s Health –
 Obesity
 Heart Disease
 Diabetes
 Life Expectancy

23.  Both USDA and DGA advisory committees have
numerous ties to industry
 DGA 2005: Kraft, Mars, American Egg Board,
American Cocoa Research Institute, Sugar Association,
NCBA Kellogg, National Dairy Board
 USDA 2004: National Cattelman’s Beef Assiociation
and ConAgra Foods (packaged foods industry)

25.  Children’s health vs. Agribusiness
 “Cutting costs through privatization” – ¼ of school’s
nutrition program
 Outsourced to food giants – Aramark
(Philadelphia), Sodexo (France), Chartwells (Britain)
 Work hand-in-hand with food manufacturers like Tyson
and Pilgrim’s – PROFIT DRIVEN

26.  Schools that hire private food-service management
firms - spend less on labor/food; more on
fees/supplies = NO SUBSTATIVE ECONOMIC
SAVINGS*
 Food processors give rebates to management
companies in exchange for school contracts – schools
charged full price
(rebate abuse – NY $20
million settlement)

27. 1). USDA pays $1 billion a year for commodities like fresh
apples, sweet potatoes, chickens, and turkeys
2). Schools get free food
3). Schools pay processors to turn healthy ingredients
into fried chicken nuggets, fruit pastries, and pizza…
~$445 million in commodities are sent for
processing each year!
Ex: Michigan – free raw chicken worth $11.40/case; sends
it for processing into nuggets at $33.45/case
California - $14.75 to make French fries out of $5.95 worth
of “free” potatoes

30.  Gives USDA authority to set nutritional standards for
all foods sold in schools
 Maximum calories for school meals
 Require more fruits, vegs, whole grains; limit trans fats
 Additional funding to schools that meet new
nutritional standards
 Establish local farm to school
networks
 Improve nutritional quality of
commodity foods
 Sets basic standards for school
wellness policies

32.  “Smaller lunches at higher prices” – price increase of
10 – 15 cents per meal
 “Hungry and unhappy students” - Reduced portions of
bread and protein; 1% flavored milk replaced by fat-
free milk…
 “Children aren’t’ obese from school lunches – it’s lack
of exercise”
 Increased food waste – “kids won’t eat broccoli”
 Food management companies lobbied against it –
“children may not want to eat healthier food”
 Blocked limit on starchy vegetables; continued to allow
pizza sauce and French fries to count as vegetables

33.  Frisco Elementary – 16
pounds of produce
 Over 300 students/youth
groups visit in summer
 School season not
summer growing season
 How to get this into the
curriculum at school?
 Ex: DVE School garden
and dome

42.  Getting healthy, locally, sustainably produced foods
into Colorado schools
 Helping children understand how food is produced
 Transition from processed and precooked ingredients
to whole foods – more control over nutrition
 Example Programs:
 Special meal once a month (Colorado Proud)
 Scratch Cooking – local foods with minimal processing
 Source single item as a pilot program
 Salad bar or baked potato bar
 Local, frozen ground beef

44.  “School gardens and related educational activities may
be just as important as serving local food in cafeteria”
 Potential educational component:
 Farm tours
 School gardens
 Nutrition education in the classroom
 Cooking classes and demos (Chef in the classroom)
 Local food or farmer posters in cafeterias
 Special meals (Colorado Proud)
 Farmer visits to the classroom
 Youth farmer’s markets
 Incorporating garden production into culinary, science,
math, and other academic curriculum