Commend Local Food, Don’t Condemn It!

Dear Editor,

Since 1994, I’ve been helping grow Iowa’s local food system, yet a 2022 USDA report says of the $9 billion dollars of local foods produced in the U.S., the Midwest accounts for only 6% of national sales. Covid made this vulnerability of our food supply chain very clear.

Since 2021, investment in the local food system has grown. The USDA launched the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) and Local Food for Schools (LFS) programs. Iowa has increased investment in infrastructure initiatives and the Choose Iowa Local Food Purchasing program, modeled after the LFPA and LFS programs. The success has been tremendous. 

LFPA & LFS, alone, have impacted 135 schools, 300 farmers, 95 distribution locations, and 98 counties. We’ve gotten fresh foods into schools and anti-hunger programs and established stable markets for farmers. Farms have grown, schools have expanded capacity to serve fresh foods, and students have embraced the taste and “their farmers” with pride. 

This progress is under threat. 

Last week the USDA abruptly ended the LFPA and LFS programs, cutting $11.3 million in federal support committed over the next three years. At the same time, a misdirected proposal in the Iowa legislature (SF 525/HF851), proposes to rewrite school nutrition standards, prioritizing Iowa commodities over fresh, healthy food, completely missing the opportunity to build on the decades of progress in Iowa’s local food system. All the while, anti-hunger efforts are seeing record demand and evidence of diet-related, chronic disease is prevalent throughout our communities. Key partners have made substantial investments in anticipation of these programs. 

This work should be commended, not condemned. 

Please urge Iowa legislators to boost state investment in the Choose Iowa Local Purchasing program to $3 million to help fill part of the gap left by federal cuts. Ensure school nutrition really is nutritious. Finally, buy local!

Jan Libbey

Kanawha, Iowa