About GMFTS: OUR PURPOSE
Green Mountain Farm-to-School was founded to address a growing crisis in our community: the need for improved childhood nutrition and the decline of Vermont agriculture.
- One in five Vermont children are overweight or at risk of being overweight.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Obesity Trends 1985-2007)
- Only 26% of Vermont children consume more than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Behavorial Risk Factor Surveillance System)
- The average American meal travels 1,500 miles to get from farm to plate. (Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture)
- In the last ten years, Vermont has lost over 80,000 acres or 5% of its farmland (2007 USDA Census of Agriculture)
By working in school cafeterias to offer a variety of fresh local foods, Green Mountain Farm-to-School provides a unique win-win opportunity to simultaneously improve the health of our children and support our local farms. Through nutrition and agriculture education, students can acquire the knowledge and skills they need to make healthy food choices.
"GMFTS not only provides students with nutritious meals, but it also educates them about how to make healthy food choices. It's an important investment in our children's future."
—Chantale Nadeau, Parent and Nutritionist, Vermont Department of Health