Welcome to the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Farm to School toolkit!
Since 2011, MPS has been proudly sourcing fresh produce, meats, baked goods, and other products from local farmers and manufacturers for the meals we provide to the 35,500 students in the district. It’s a win-win – we support our neighboring farmers and food economies, and kids love the fresh, flavorful food! This toolkit is designed to describe MPS’ farm to school program and share the many useful tools, resources and documents that have been developed since its inception. Readers will get an overview of how MPS purchases and serves fresh produce from small and mid-sized, sustainable farmers in the region. The primary audience for this toolkit is food service directors and staff at schools or other institutions who wish to serve locally grown foods, as well as partners who serve to support or fund farm to school programs. Anyone interested in farm to school will learn something from this tangible example of how a school district serves farm-fresh produce in school meals. We wanted to capture the essence of MPS’s farm to school program and deliver it in an easy-to-read version for busy professionals, rather than publish a lengthy, allinclusive report.
Original Publication Date May 2016