Marketing
By Julie Raway, MPH, RDN, CDN, SNS, FAND Broome-Tioga BOCES Promoting farm to school within the district and community is an important part of a farm to school program. It can help to not only share positive work, but drive participation in farm to school initiatives and consumption of New York foods to help reach the 30% incentive program. There are many ways to promote farm to school including: PROMOTIONS Marketing FARM TO SCHOOL
USE TO HIGHLIGHT YOUR PROGRAM AWARDS
Here in New York State, we love to celebrate Farm to School. Each year we partner with the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets for the Farm to School Partnership Awards! Some of the projects that have been created around the state are just so innovative and unique. From creative student taste testing events to farm to school food trucks, directors and partners are redefining the way we think of school meals. Throughout the state there are districts that showcase NY Thursdays, where districts strive to provide a meal created with all NY items. On Wayne Wednesdays all food service directors in Wayne County showcase NY food items. There are Junior Chef challenges, school gardens, farmers markets, bilingual cooking and gardening videos, and more. Even during a pandemic these programs have not slowed down. Directors have been finding ways to incorporate farm to school into the remote meals and even creating meal kits with recipes that families can make together. The awards are given each year for exceptional work completed by schools around the state. Working with local farms has become a great way for Farm to School to flourish in New York State. Applying and winning this award can help showcase your farm to school projects not only with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the community, but also on the state level. It will create buzz around your district and farm to school initiatives. Ideas for projects include merchandising/promoting local foods, working with local farms, building partnerships, and integrating farm to school into wellness activities, and distribution: finding creative ways to get or receive local farm products.
Signs/Banners One of the easiest ways to market a farm to school program is with signs and banners that are prominently displayed in the cafeteria and around the schools. These can also be converted to images and used electronically on social media. Signs and banners can promote New York food days or local menu items to encourage students to taste the food.
Newsletters Newsletters can be a more formal way to share information about farm to school within your district. This can be shared with students, parents, community, district public relations, and on websites and social media. It’s a formal way to share information on local food being offered, farm to school recipes, school gardens, and other farm to school initiatives. It’s also a great way to advertise school meals and New York food in the cafeteria. Social Media Social media is a great way to broadly share farm to school information both with the local community and beyond. Posting photos and videos of local food, recipe testing, school gardens, and farm to school classroom education can shine positive light on the school nutrition program and efforts to bring local food into the cafeteria for students to enjoy. Tagging state and national organizations (e.g. school nutrition associations) and community partners will also help to create more buzz around the farm to school program.
Recipes Sharing farm to school recipes in a family format (~6 servings) can promote farm to school and encourage families to use local food at home. It can also help students become more familiar with local products and explore new tastes both at home and school increasing consumption of New York foods, especially those offered in the cafeteria.
Local Media Inviting local media to farm to school events is a great way to communicate to the public and promote efforts to bring local food in for school meals. Local media loves to showcase these efforts. It can be as easy as inviting them to taste tests and New York food days that are already being conducted. They can also be invited to press conferences that focus on ways the district has implemented farm to school from planting gardens to offering local food on the school menus.
Participate at Community and School Events Having farm to school activities at community and school events where you can reach parents and families is a good way to share and showcase farm to school while encouraging families to enjoy school meals especially those sourced with New York food.
More information can be found at: https://www.nyschoolnutrition.org/awards-and-scholarships
18
19 SPECIAL EDITION
FreshBites
FreshBites
SPECIAL EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook