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WEST JORDAN -- Fresh Utah produce is coming to Jordan Elementary Schools. How long it keeps coming is a different subject altogether.
The district has arranged to have a different produce items served on the school lunch menu every two weeks through the month of November. District Dietitian Katie Bastian says it's the first of its kind in the state and will offer learning and nutritional opportunities for students.
"We had one little girl say ‘This is the best watermelon I've ever had. The others don't taste like it,'" said Bastian.
Bastian says local farms are excited and see a market in the schools.
"It's really neat for them because they can expand their market. It's neat for us because we can purchase locally and support the local economy," she said. "Plus, we get the produce fresh and ripe because it was just picked."
But the fresh stuff comes with a price. Bastian admits that they are paying a bit more for the produce.
"We've had to pull within other sources of our budget to cover these costs, but we feel like it's worth it and we are hoping that our participation will increase," she said.
Bastian says the district won't raise the cost of cafeteria lunches.
"So we're kind of going out on a limb here, but we really hope it grows enough that it can sustain itself," she said.
Bastian hopes the program is successful and that the district will be able to order more fresh produce from local farms next spring.
E-mail:cwall@ksl.com
