On June 26, 2026, Representatives GT Thompson (R-PA-15) and Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI-8) introduced the Local Foods for Healthy Schools Act, which mirrors the USDA Local Food for Schools (LFS) program. Starting in 2022, LFS proved what was possible by investing $200 million in local family farms. When USDA terminated the second round of the program in March of 2025, a wave of bipartisan public outcry quickly followed. The termination pulled the rug out from under farmers, who had anticipated a combined $660 million over three years in sales to schools and child care sites. Many farmers had already planted crops and purchased equipment to scale up their businesses, and schools were also left scrambling to fill the gap. This new House bill seeks to build on LFS, improve it, and make it permanent.
Click here to learn about original LFS funding and implementation in your state.
Why This Program Matters
It supports America's family farmers in a way no other program does. This is one of the only federal programs specifically designed to connect small and mid-sized farms directly with the school food marketplace. Most existing federal programs tend to funnel money toward large national suppliers and are out of reach for independent family farms. With at least 94.5% of funds going straight to local farmers and food businesses, this program is one of the most efficient and traceable investments the federal government can make.
It gets healthy food to kids. School nutrition departments operate on razor-thin margins, with federal reimbursement rates leaving only $1-2 per meal for actual food costs. That makes purchasing fresh, local food financially out of reach for most schools without dedicated support. This federal program bridges that gap, ensuring children have access to whole, minimally processed, locally grown food, regardless of their zip code.
It strengthens national food security. The pandemic exposed just how vulnerable our food supply chains are when we rely too heavily on national and global distribution networks. Investing in local and regional food systems creates the kind of decentralized, community-rooted infrastructure that is harder to disrupt, reducing dependence on foreign supply chains and keeping food dollars circulating in our communities.
It puts states in charge. Rather than a top-down federal mandate, this program gives state agencies the flexibility to design programs that fit their local agricultural economies and community needs.
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Supporting family farmers, feeding kids well, and strengthening rural economies are priorities we all share, regardless of party. The bipartisan introduction of this bill reflects the broad, common-sense appeal of connecting local producers with the schools in their own communities.
Program Logistics
How does this program work?
Similar to LFS, USDA would create non-competitive cooperative agreements with state agencies, departments, or commissions that are responsible for agriculture, child nutrition, procurement, distribution, or other similar activities. State agencies can design their programs to meet their local contexts, either through sub-awards directly to schools, or by contracting directly with producers and food hubs for local food purchases. USDA will reimburse the participating state agencies for local food purchases and allowable program expenses.
5.5% of funds can be used to support implementation. While National Farm to School Network pushed for greater administrative support, this marks an improvement from the original LFS program. Up to 0.50% of total federal funds can be reserved for federal administrative activities, and state agencies can use 5% of program funds for:
- Providing training and technical assistance
- Paying the cost such producer incurs in obtaining required food safety certifications
- Conducting oversight and reporting; and
- Administering the program in general.
Who can participate?
This program benefits school food authorities. It's worth noting that the Local Foods for Healthy Schools program does not cover child nutrition programs participating in the Child and Adult Day Care Program (CACFP), leaving early childcare sites out of eligibility.
What foods are eligible for reimbursement?
This program will help get high quality local food into schools by reimbursing minimally processed local products, which includes products that are whole, cut, pureed, fresh, frozen, canned, or dried. State agencies must demonstrate that a wide variety of local foods will be purchased with their funds. Lastly, the local food purchased must supplement, not supplant state local food purchasing incentive funds.
What does “local” mean?
“Local” food means within each state’s border, or within a 400-mile radius of the school food authority, or another definition proposed by a state agency and approved by the Secretary of Agriculture. Local food must be purchased from a “covered producer,” which means a farmer, producer, rancher, distributor, processor, or other business involved in food production or distribution that is in the geographic parameters mentioned above.
How much funding will go to my state?
This program provides $400 million annually to support local family farms and get high quality local foods in schools. Of this amount, $200 million is mandatory funding per year through the Commodity Credit Corporation and $200 million per year is authorized in appropriations.
Funding is allocated to states using a two-part formula. First, every state receives an equal base allocation, though this equal distribution is capped at no more than 30% of total program funds. Any remaining funds (at least 70%) are then distributed proportionally based on the number of students participating in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program in each state.
There’s also a reallocation clause. States that do not obligate their full allocation by the end of their performance period will have those unspent funds reallocated to other states that have demonstrated the capacity to put additional dollars to work. This helps ensure that program funds are reaching kids and local farmers as efficiently as possible.
We Need Your Voice to Enact Local Foods for Healthy Schools
The Road Ahead
This bill could advance through Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR), though CNR remains stalled. Waiting simply isn't an option schools and farmers can afford. The Farm Bill operates under different committee jurisdiction, where agricultural commodities and crop insurance dominate. That's why school nutrition priorities get sidelined. The 2026 House and Senate Farm Bill versions confirmed this, as neither clearly named schools as beneficiaries in their local foods sections.
Standalone legislation is the faster path. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 passed this way earlier this year, proving it's possible, though the whole milk legislation didn’t have a price tag associated with it.
Building strong bipartisan cosponsorship accomplishes two things. It advances the standalone bill and it signals to USDA that Congress backs this program. That signal matters because it can encourage USDA to restore the program administratively (details below), without waiting for new legislative language.
Ask Your House Member to Cosponsor Today
Contact your House representative today. Share the bill text and ask them to cosponsor this bill.
Here are a few easy ways to take action:
- Call or email your House member's office directly
- Tag your representative on social media
- Invite your representative to your farm, business, or school for a site visit
Your personal story is one of the most powerful tools you have. Sharing how LFS has benefited your community and why this new legislation matters to you can make a real difference.
How National Farm to School Network Can Help
National Farm to School Network staff are available to help connect you with your elected officials so you can share your story and why this program matters to you. We can also help you write op-eds for your local paper or other media outlets to help promote this program. Please contact policy@farmtoschool.org if you need assistance.
Other Avenues to Get Local Foods in Schools
Outside of this bill, an LFS-style program could be instated administratively or legislatively:
- Legislatively: Last summer, two bipartisan bills were introduced to bring back and combine both the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) and LFS programs: the Strengthening Local Food Security Act in the Senate (S. 338) and the Local Farmers Feeding Our Communities Act (H. 4782) in the House. Read NFSN’s blog post on the details of these bills.
The Local Farmers Feeding Our Communities Act was incorporated into the 2026 House Farm Bill version, but its mandatory funding was removed and overall funding cut in half. While the specific language doesn't expressly mention schools, NFSN believes school food authorities would qualify as eligible nonprofit organizations under the bill's language. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Boozman released a Senate Farm Bill discussion draft in June. Section 210B, entitled Strengthening Local Food Security Program, would authorize $200 million annually to be appropriated for the program, though funding is not guaranteed. The draft also does not specify schools explicitly as benefitting parties, only “nonprofit organizations that have experience in food distribution.”
- Administrative Action: USDA Secretary Rollins also has the authority to allocate Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funding or USDA bridge payments to support an improved LFS-style program. This is how the original LFS was funded. It's important that Secretary Rollins hears from advocates like you about why this program matters.
- Complementary Efforts: In addition to bringing back Local Food for Schools, National Farm to School Network is also championing reforms to the USDA Foods program that would increase local purchasing options for schools. This strategy doesn't add new money, but allows schools to allocate more of their existing federal entitlement dollars to regional food producers.