Thank you for helping nourish the nation One Tray at a time.

One Tray is a national campaign to improve child nutrition by encouraging a more direct connection between local farms and federal nutrition. One Tray symbolizes the health of our children, the state of our food system, and the potential in providing every child the opportunity to succeed.

Every four or five years, an opportunity arises for all concerned with the health of our nation’s children to evaluate, defend, and improve federal Child Nutrition programs. Three national organizations have joined forces to advocate for more healthful, more sustainably produced and regionally sourced school food that can improve the health of kids, develop new marketing opportunities for farmers, and support the local economy. The time is now to nourish the nation one tray at a time.  Click here to learn more about Farm to School and Child Nutrition Programs.

One Tray encourages a more direct connection between agriculture and federal nutrition at the local and regional levels and represents win-win scenarios for our country’s economy, agricultural community and children’s health. The following is a list of potential benefits that these programs can catalyze:

  • Strengthen children’s and communities’ knowledge about, and attitudes toward, agriculture, food, nutrition and the environment.
  • Increase children’s participation in the school meals program and consumption of fruits and vegetables, thereby improving childhood nutrition, reducing hunger, and preventing obesity and obesity-related diseases.
  • Benefit school food budgets, after start-up, if planning and menu choices are made consistent with seasonal availability of fresh and minimally processed whole foods.
  • Support economic development across numerous sectors and promote job creation.
  • Increase market opportunities for farmers, fishers, ranchers, food processors and food manufacturers.
  • Decrease the distance between producers and consumers, thus promoting food security while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and reliance on oil.

Want to learn more? Dig Deeper.