Introducing Our Five-Year Plan for New England’s Food Future
Exciting changes are coming for the New England food system from 2025 to 2030! This is a time for growth and commitment to local food initiatives.
We’re proud to announce our new plan, Schools & Students for New England’s Food Future. This initiative is a collaboration among school leaders, food organizations, farmers, and local entrepreneurs. Each of you plays a crucial role in promoting local food, and we appreciate your hard work.
In the last ten years, we’ve seen amazing growth in farm-to-school programs across New England. Institutions like colleges and schools are buying more local food, and many have also improved their infrastructure and training. However, recent data shows that only 3.1% of spending on food and beverages in our region goes to local products. That’s a clear signal that we have more work to do.
We’ve been reflecting on how to enhance our methods to reach the ambitious goal of producing 30% of our food regionally by 2030. We’ve built strong relationships with community leaders and identified new opportunities where we can make a real impact.
Over the next five years, we will invest $21 million in leaders and initiatives that can drive significant progress towards this goal. We believe that working together will help us create a healthier food system for everyone in New England.
We’re also thrilled to share that Beth Zschau has been promoted to Senior Program Officer, and we’ve welcomed Amy Longsworth to our Board of Trustees. Together, we aim to strengthen our food systems even further.
We can’t wait to embark on this journey with you. Together, we can build a more resilient food system for all of New England.
Best regards,
Andy Kendall, Beth Zschau, and Holly Hannaway
