Ky. (WEHT) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced sweeping new efforts to strengthen school meals by connecting more American farmers with local schools, investing in school kitchen infrastructure and giving states and school districts new tools to serve healthier, more nutrient-dense meals to kids
“If we want to Make America Healthy Again, we have to start with our children, and that means improving what we put on their lunch trays every single day,” said Secretary Brooke L. Rollins. “Harvest to Hallways is about bringing more American agriculture into the school cafeteria. We are connecting schools with the farmers and ranchers in their own communities, investing in the kitchens and equipment school nutrition professionals need to prepare real food, and cutting through barriers that have made it too difficult to serve healthy, American-grown food. When we strengthen the connection between the farm and the lunchroom, everybody wins: our children eat better, our farmers gain new markets and our communities grow stronger.”
Officials note Harvest to Hallways includes up to $70 million in investments in school cafeteria infrastructure, an effort to expand schools’ use of local food procurement options and up to $25 million in additional Farm to School Grants for Fiscal Year 2026
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Harvest to Hallways
Officials say the initiative includes actions to improve school meals and strengthen the connection between American agriculture and America’s children, such as:
Expanding local procurement
USDA will launch a major education and outreach campaign around the “Local Option” School Procurement Program, an existing procurement pathway that can allow schools to be reimbursed for purchases of locally produced foods. The Local Option has already been used in Union County, Kentucky, where school districts purchased locally produced beef. USDA will provide dedicated outreach and webinars to help more schools take advantage of the option
Investing in school kitchens
USDA will make a new $50 million investment in school cafeteria infrastructure to help qualifying schools purchase equipment such as cold storage and stoves, improve food safety, and establish, maintain or expand School Breakfast Programs. The investment builds on recently announced National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance Grants totaling $20 million. Secretaries Rollins and Kennedy will also work to encourage public-private partnerships to complement USDA’s investment
Bringing more local food to schools
USDA is announcing up to $25 million in new, additional Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants for FY 2026. These investments help schools incorporate locally produced foods into child nutrition programs while creating new market opportunities for American farmers and ranchers. Previous projects include the Pennsylvania Beef Council’s work with 175 local schools to bring locally raised beef to nearly 300,000 students
Accelerating healthier meals
USDA and HHS will encourage greater state adoption of the Pledge for Healthier School Meals, which encourages updated nutrition practices aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030 that can be implemented immediately
Investing in school meal nutrition research
HHS will invest $30 million in research to identify practical, cost-effective ways to improve the nutritional quality of school meals and help schools put healthier meals on students’ trays
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People can learn more about the new Harvest to Hallways initiative here
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