Bill aims to get food from Oregon served in schools

Farm-to-school programs may increase sales, jobs

By Peter Wong
Statesman Journal

Another effort is under way to put food grown and processed in Oregon onto the trays of Oregon schoolchildren.

House Bill 2800, which the House Agriculture Committee heard Thursday, would set aside $22.6 million in lottery proceeds for the Department of Education to reimburse schools for Oregon foods used in subsidized lunch and breakfast programs.

“This is about how Oregon farms can feed Oregon students,” said Chairman Brian Clem, D-Salem, who in 2007 and 2008 secured money for state agencies to promote pilot projects in Portland and Gervais.

They may have been small steps, but enough of a signal for Truitt Bros. Inc., a food processor based in Salem.

“Up until recently, school food service has been a market that we as a company had ceased to develop because of insurmountable bureaucracy and regulations that actually worked against the simple principle of getting good food to children,” Peter Truitt said.

“I believe the state of Oregon was very smart to staff positions within state government to facilitate this broad Oregon farm-to-school initiative. That changed it all for me.”

Because of those steps, Truitt said, Portland schools have featured cherries from The Dalles, green beans from the Willamette Valley, pears from Hood River — and a three-bean chili produced in West Salem.

“We make darned good chili,” Truitt said. His audience laughed after he added that it has been served at Texas Stadium, home to the Dallas Cowboys.

Truitt also said that the project has generated enough business for his company to add half a shift to its special products department and more than six hours to its seasonal canning operations. He said food manufacturing is one of Oregon’s few economic sectors that added jobs in 2008.

Jeff Rosenblad, owner of Happy Harvest Farms near Mount Angel, said the pilot project in Gervais has supplemented an operation that mainly supplies farmers’ markets. He raises berries and vegetables on 25 acres.

“I see a definite future for our farm selling to schools,” he said. “It will not only increase sales, but will allow us to employ people longer as well as add equipment to make the fresh fruits and vegetables easier to serve to children at schools.”

The Portland and Gervais pilot projects were paid for through a Northwest Health Foundation grant of $66,193, which resulted in food purchases of $225,869 for the 14 weeks, according to Ecotrust, an organization based in Portland that is promoting farm-to-school programs.

Clem and Rep. Tina Kotek, D-Portland, are chief sponsors of HB 2800.

Advocates say that an allocation of $22.6 million would provide schools with an average of 15 cents per subsidized lunch and 7 cents per breakfast; Oregon does not provide state support to the federally subsidized programs. Grants to districts also could be used on education programs, field trips and school gardens.

Advocates say almost 500 jobs could be created.

pwong@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6745