Governor Kathy Hochul today highlighted significant milestones reached in the State’s locally sourced school food programs during her time in office, each one helping to make sure that no student goes hungry in a New York classroom and further providing an economic boost to New York farmers. Through the 30% NYS Initiative, the Farm-to-School Grant Program, and the Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program, $66.5 million has been dedicated to bring local New York State foods to schools, reaching more than 1.1 million students since 2021. In addition, the Governor’s groundbreaking Universal School Meals program, launched this year, impacts all 2.7 million students in New York State by ensuring they can have breakfast and lunch at school without concern for cost. Following implementation of the Governor’s Universal School Meals law, schools across New York State have served more than 150 million free meals since the start of the school year in September.

“Making sure that kids have access to enough fresh, local foods is critical to helping them thrive in school,” Governor Hochul said. “Through several innovative programs, New York State has made great steps forward during my tenure to ensure that no kid goes hungry in the classroom, and that our farmers are supported. I’m proud that these programs are helping make sure our school children have the good food and nutrition they need while also providing a boost to our farmers — a true win-win for all.”

30% NYS Initiative
The 30% NYS Initiative provides healthier New York-producer-sourced food to students as part of their school lunch. The program increases the reimbursement schools receive for lunches from 5.9 cents per meal to 25 cents per meal for any district that purchases at least 30 percent of its ingredients for their school lunch program from New York farms.

As part of her 2022 State of the State plan to better connect farms and schools across New York, the Governor directed the Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) to manage the 30% NYS Initiative. The program has since seen school participation grow to 82 school districts participating and approved for the current 2025-2026 school year, with more than 750,000 K-12 school children impacted by the program since 2021. In addition, more than $40.4 million has been spent by schools on New York State food products for school lunches, directly benefitting New York farmers. Over the same time, the State reimbursed over $11.1 million to school districts following their participation in the program.

Farm-to-School Program
The successful Farm-to-School program also connects schools with local farms and food producers to strengthen local agriculture, improve student health, and promote regional food systems awareness. Through the program, AGM provides financial, technical, and promotional assistance to schools, farms, distributors, and other supporting organizations to bring more local, nutritious, seasonally varied meals to New York students. Since 2021, the New York State Farm-to-School Grant Program has awarded more than $3.9 million to over 30 organizations, supporting projects at more than 160 school districts serving meals to over 280,000 Kindergarten through Grade12 students.

The program recently opened Round 9 of the Farm-to-School program, making available another $1.5 million to expand farm-to-school programs across New York State. A portion of the funding, $450,000, will be dedicated to applicants that have not received an award in previous rounds of the program. Grant awards may range from $50,000 to $150,000.

Proposals are due by March 12, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. An informational workshop for interested applicants will be held January 7, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. For more information, visit agriculture.ny.gov/rfp-0378-new-york-state-farm-school-grant-program-2026.

Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program
The State continued its commitment to getting local foods into schools through its newest program, the Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program, which was launched in the Governor’s 2023 State of the State. The program provides $50 million over five years to support regional cooking facilities that will facilitate the use of fresh New York State farm products in meal preparation for school children. In each round of the program, two regions are awarded $5 million each, with two rounds (four regions) awarded so far. Two additional regions will be awarded $5 million each in subsequent rounds, until all regions are awarded through five rounds. The funding is improving meal preparation and distribution for students using local agricultural products, with a third round of funding open now through January 20, 2026.

In total, through Round 1 and Round 2, the projects awarded are expected to reach over 139,000 students across 36 school districts. As these projects are expected to remain in place and increase fresh, scratch-made foods in schools for years to come, the actual impact on students will continue to grow and be much larger over time.

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said,“When schools use food products from local sources, they are supporting our farmers and providing healthy choices for children, while also supporting the local economy. Things just work better when we work together and I’m proud that the State’s school food programs are a great example of that.”

State Senator Michelle Hinchey said, “Every New York student deserves to eat nutritious, locally grown food as part of the meals they receive at school, because the meals kids eat shape their health, their ability to learn, and their long-term well-being. Farm-to-school makes that possible, and investing in these programs delivers critical economic development opportunities for New York farmers while supporting student success. As a longtime advocate for expanding farm-to-school, it’s wonderful to see this work delivering results, and we’re committed to strengthening and growing it statewide.”

Assemblymember Donna Lupardosaid, “New York’s school food initiatives have helped districts source nutritious ingredients from local farms as well as receive technical assistance and new infrastructure grants. These programs have shown the importance of investing in our farmers, our students, and our local food systems. I’m looking forward to working with the Governor and our legislative colleagues to build on this success in additional districts, so that more students can enjoy nutritious, home grown school meals.”

New York School Nutrition Association CEO Jennifer Martin said, “These investments are transforming what school meals look like across New York State. By pairing universal school meals with strong farm-to-school and local purchasing programs, New York is ensuring that students have consistent access to fresh, nutritious food while empowering school nutrition professionals to serve meals that reflect their communities. At the same time, these programs strengthen our local agricultural economy, creating a sustainable food system that benefits students, farmers, and schools alike.”

New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher said, “The 30% NYS Initiative, Farm-to-School Grant Program, and Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program are a win-win for students and farmers alike. Students win because they receive nutritious food from local sources, and farmers win because they have access to an important market, which helps their bottom line. No child should go hungry, and New York farmers are part of the solution.”

Additionally, launched this year, the Governor’s Universal School Meals Program ensures every single one of New York’s 2.7 million students receive free breakfast and lunch at school, addressing food insecurity in the classroom and ensuring that students stay in school and are able to focus in the classroom. The program is a cornerstone of the Governor’s affordability agenda, and is estimated to save families $165 per child in grocery spending each month.

The FY26 Enacted Budget included $340 million for school meals, a $160 million year-to-year increase, and requires all school districts, charter schools and nonpublic schools that participate in the national school lunch and breakfast program to provide free breakfast and lunch meals to all students regardless of their families’ incomes.

These investments are a part of the Governor’s overall commitment to boost demand for New York agricultural products, bolster New York's food supply chain and ensure all New Yorkers can access fresh, local foods. This also includes the Governor’s Executive Order 32 directing State agencies to increase the percentage of food sourced from New York farmers and producers to 30 percent of their total purchases within five years. New York State also continues to support the Nourish New York program, the FreshConnectFresh2You initiative, the Food Access Expansion Grant Program, the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs, the Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grants Programs, and more. The Governor has also committed $25 million toward the New York State Grown & Certified Infrastructure, Technology, Research and Development Grant Program to assist food producers, processors, distributors and others using New York ingredients to bring innovative NYS Grown & Certified products to market.