School officials can now request locally-grown fresh produce through a federal program designed to provide children with healthy foods.

Thanks to a policy change by the U.S. Department of Agriculture , school districts can specify that they would like fruits and vegetables from area farmers, instead of accepting produce that may have been grown thousands of miles away.

According to a report in the American Agriculturalist, “USDA's final ruling pertaining to the 2008 Farm Bill allows schools to put a geographical preference specification on school bids and in their purchasing procedures.” The new rule allows food service officials to specify that fruits and vegetables must be grown within a certain state or region or even within a specified number of miles from the school.

-David Wallechinsky, Noel Brinkerhoff