This was written by staff at the nonprofit newsroom EdSource. It was republished by The Mendocino Voice in partnership with EdSource to bring relevant education news to Mendocino County readers. Learn more about EdSource here.
SACRAMENTO, CA., 7/17/26 — California’s Farm to School program, which connects schools with California farmers to expand access to fresh meals and local ingredients, has secured permanent funding under legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this week.
SB 172 codifies the program after state lawmakers included continued funding in the 2026-2027 budget. State officials said the program has invested $86 million in 327 projects since 2021, benefitting 49% of public school students, with about 80% of grant recipients being Title I schools.
“California is leading the nation in supporting children’s health by serving nutritious, locally grown school meals and providing food education that equips students with lifelong healthy habits,” Newsom said in a press release. “Supporting California farmers, local communities, and the health of California’s children remains a top priority, which is why we have secured permanent funding for California’s nation-leading Farm to School Program.”
According to the governor’s office, the Los Angeles Unified School District used the grant funds to connect cafeteria programs and career technical education and overhauled food procurement from small farmers, and was on track to purchase $4.7 million from local growers for the 2025-2026 school year. Organizations like SPORK Food Hub and Burns Blossom Farm also upgraded school food safety, infrastructure, staffing and equipment.
About 1 in 5 children in the U.S. face food insecurity, with over 2 million children in California lacking access to healthy, whole foods. Black and Latino children also face food insecurity at twice the rate of white children. California was the first state to guarantee free school meals for nearly 6 million of its public school students after Newsom signed the School Meals for All program into law in 2021.
This article first appeared in EdSource here.