The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which provided New York City students with additional snacks, is being suspended for the remainder of the 2024-2025 academic year. A notice from the city's Department of Education informed Brooklyn Elementary School parents of this change, citing funding issues as the cause.
While students will continue to receive fruits and vegetables during lunch, the extra snacks offered three days a week will cease after March 31. This affects over 50 schools participating in the federal program, which had a budget of $1,179,000 for the current school year.
According to parents, typical snacks included apples, bananas, cucumbers, and carrots with Ranch dressing. Additional options such as cantaloupe, grapes, honeydew, kiwi, and pineapple were also provided, as noted by a DOE source. However, there are discussions about replacing these with canned fruits or applesauce.
The cessation follows a recent announcement by the US Department of Agriculture to cut $1 billion in federal funding, impacting the provision of fresh, locally sourced produce to schools and food banks. The USDA states that schools with at least 50% of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals generally qualify for the program.
PS 29 in Brooklyn is among the schools affected by these cuts. Previously, the city's DOE reportedly over-ordered apples, resulting in nearly 280,000 cases worth $5.5 million going to waste last summer. Kitchen staff have urged prioritization of students' preferred fruits and vegetables, but issues with costly distributors persist.
Since July, overcharges totaling approximately $1.2 million have been identified for produce like squash, apples, oranges, and bananas, purchased at distributor rates rather than market value. A whistleblower suggests these funds could be better allocated to procure higher-quality produce.
Despite the current funding suspension, there is an expectation that the program for extra fresh fruit snacks will resume in the next school year, according to another DOE source. In contrast, DOE spokeswoman Jenna Lyle denies any reduction in fresh fruit offerings.
Source: New York Post