Federal officials on Monday announced a set of moves designed to ensure more American-grown food is served at school.
The initiative, dubbed Harvest to Hallways, ties farmers more closely to cafeterias, invests in kitchen equipment, and tries to cut red tape that has kept local products off school menus, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) statement said.
“If we want to Make America Healthy Again, we have to start with our children, and that means improving what we put on their lunch trays every single day,” said Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Harvest to Hallways is about bringing more American agriculture into the school cafeteria,” Rollins said. “We are connecting schools with the farmers and ranchers in their own communities, investing in the kitchens and equipment school nutrition professionals need to prepare real food, and cutting through barriers that have made it too difficult to serve healthy, American-grown food.”
Kennedy added that every meal served at schools should make a child healthier.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the updated Dietary Guidelines into action by bringing real, nutrient-dense food back to school cafeterias and giving schools the tools to serve it affordably,” Kennedy said. “Together with Secretary Rollins, we are building a school food system that supports American farmers and raises healthier American children.”
The two secretaries spoke at the USDA with farmers, students, school nutrition directors, athletes, chefs, and parents.
The plan calls for USDA to invest $50 million in school cafeteria infrastructure. That covers cold storage, stoves, food-safety upgrades, and help starting or expanding school breakfast programs. It follows $20 million already announced for national school lunch program equipment assistance grants.
Rollins and Kennedy said they plan to leverage public-private partnerships to ensure success.
The department is also allocating up to $25 million in Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants for fiscal year 2026, allowing schools to purchase local products while connecting farmers with new customers.
The USDA is involved with the Pennsylvania Beef Council, working with 175 schools and reaching nearly 300,000 students with locally raised beef.
The initiative is part of the Make America Healthy Again banner, which has overseen a sweeping program to transform school lunch trays. Some state and federal lawmakers have pushed to restrict ultra-processed foods in K–12 public schools to make kids happier, healthier, and better students. Efforts have focused on removing unhealthy products, ingredients, or food dyes from school cafeterias.
In September 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Make Our Children Healthy Again guidance was released.
“The American diet has shifted dramatically toward highly processed foods, leading to nutrient depletion, increased caloric intake, and exposure to potentially harmful or unhealthy additives,” the guidance read.