It may seem incredible to many, but the fact is that higher food costs are forcing schools in Minnesota to crunch the food service budgets in several district schools across the state. Two years back, the federal government made it mandatory for schools to follow specific nutrition guideline for the breakfasts and lunches of the students.
Recently, authorities at the Anoka-Hennepin District School, the largest school in Minnesota, revealed to 5 Eyewitness News that their food budget for only for vegetables and fruits soared from about $600,000 to $1.2 million during the last two years, since the federal requirements became mandatory.
Having better nutritional values are always something good, but they did not have the faintest idea as to how the federal requirements would affect their food budget, the report quoted Noah Atlas, director of Anoka-Hennepin Food Service, as saying. She added that two years into this thing, they have a pretty good handle on it.
While most school districts now have a better idea regarding their expenses to meet the nutritional food requirements and they are able prepare the budget in a smarter manner. Nevertheless, many schools continue to cover their food budget deficits with additional funds.
According to Atlas, at Anoka-Hennepin, they have experienced roughly a $1 million deficit in their food budget. She added that they solved the problem by utilizing the three-month reserve fund of the school.
She told the news channel that usually they used the surplus money on kitchen maintenance as well as upgrades at some point annually. "Now, the district will have a tough decision to either raise the cost of our meals, or use general fund money to balance the food budget," Atlas said.
Meanwhile, a latest study undertaken by the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service stated schools in the United States paid $789 million for local foods in the school year 2013-2014, a rise of a 100% from the first survey undertaken in 2011-2012, Who TV reported.
Of the 75 percent schools surveyed in Iowa, 29 percent said they participate in farm-to-school activities. This means 174,000 students from 438 schools in 98 districts participated in such activities. About $3.8 million, which is two percent of the mean budget, was invested into local foods. Respondents in another 17 percent of districts said they plan to start farm-to-school activities in the future.
