Buy Local - Buy Fresh ™

SCDE’s “Buy Local - Buy Fresh” Initiative:

A Supply Chain Education & Engagement Strategy for School Food Authorities / Farmers / Ranchers / Producers & Processors in South Carolina.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has worked with South Carolina’s School Food Authorities (SFAs) to favorably influence their South Carolina local food purchasing patterns throughout the years of the Pandemic and to the present day.  Our goal is to help the SC SFAs make the best business decisions to maximize their funding dollars from the National School Lunch Program, Summer Feeding Programs and other Federal grants/programs. SCDE’s influence on the SFA buying patterns has resulted in a marked increase in SC SFAs purchasing more local produce and other food products form South Carolina businesses in recent years.
 
SCDE’s Office of Health and Nutrition (OHN) is leading the charge for the “Buy Local - Buy Fresh” initiative to build on the successes of previous “buy local” and “farm-to-school” efforts.  This new multifaceted, highly focused “Buy Local - Buy Fresh” initiative not only includes SC grown fresh fruits, vegetables and produce; but also, protein and other products raised / produced in South Carolina.  This initiative will increase the awareness and knowledge of the SFAs and encourage more Federal SFA nutrition funds to be spent to benefit South Carolina farmers, ranchers, producers, and processors and more importantly, the South Carolina economy in general.