Local foods/public schools

AN ACT Relating to promoting the use of local foods in public 1
schools; amending RCW 28A.235.180 and 15.64.060; adding new sections 2
to chapter 28A.235 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; 3
and creating a new section. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28A.235 6
RCW to read as follows: 7
(1)(a) The Washington local food for schools program is created 8
in the office of the superintendent of public instruction for the 9
purpose of facilitating increased procurement and distribution of 10
Washington grown foods to school food authorities via the United 11
States department of agriculture foods distribution system of the 12
office of the superintendent of public instruction.13
(b) School food authorities participating in the national school 14
lunch program and the United States department of agriculture foods 15
program may participate in the Washington local food for schools 16
program, but participation is voluntary unless otherwise required by 17
state or federal law. 18
(2) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this 19
specific purpose, the Washington local food for schools program must:20
H-2781.1
HOUSE BILL 2369
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Reeves, Ramel, Reed, Kloba, Scott, Duerr, Doglio,
Stonier, Berg, Fosse, Salahuddin, Thai, and Bernbaum
Prefiled 01/09/26. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on Education.
p. 1 HB 2369
(a) Establish a local foods catalog of unprocessed or minimally 1
processed Washington grown items that are appropriate for school 2
meals and aligned with the federal buy American provision and other 3
federal requirements; 4
(b) Offer ordering windows through the existing United States 5
department of agriculture foods system; and 6
(c) Coordinate storage and distribution within the United States 7
department of agriculture foods network to minimize administrative 8
and logistical burdens for school food authorities and vendors.9
(3) Procurements for the Washington local food for schools 10
program must be made in accordance with chapter 39.26 RCW and 11
applicable federal child nutrition and commodity procurement 12
requirements, including provisions for competitive solicitation, 13
preferences, and small purchase methods. 14
(4) The Washington local food for schools program shall apply 15
geographic or Washington grown preferences, consistent with federal 16
guidance permitting use of "local" as a specification and geographic 17
preference, for unprocessed agricultural products.18
(5) For purposes of this section, the following definitions 19
apply: 20
(a) "School food authority" means a school district participating 21
in the national school lunch program under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1751 et 22
seq.; 23
(b) "United States department of agriculture foods" means foods 24
purchased by the United States department of agriculture and provided 25
to eligible school food authorities through the distribution system 26
administered by the office of superintendent of public instruction; 27
and 28
(c) "Washington grown" has the same meaning as in RCW 15.64.060.29
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 30
RCW to read as follows: 31
The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall 32
collaborate with the Washington state department of agriculture, the 33
department of enterprise services, the department of health, and 34
Washington State University to support the Washington local food for 35
schools program created in section 1 of this act and Washington's 36
farm-to-school initiatives by: 37
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(1) Developing uniform procurement procedures, materials, and 1
practical recommendations for school food authorities as defined in 2
section 1 of this act; 3
(2) Providing technical assistance to local vendors regarding 4
contracting, certification, food safety, and distribution 5
requirements; and 6
(3) Improving distribution infrastructure to enable centralized 7
aggregation and delivery of local products across United States 8
department of agriculture child nutrition programs.9
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 28A.235 10
RCW to read as follows: 11
(1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction may 12
receive gifts, grants, or endowments from public or private sources 13
that are made from time to time, in trust or otherwise, for the use 14
and benefit of the Washington local food for schools program created 15
in section 1 of this act, and spend gifts, grants, or endowments or 16
income from the public or private sources according to their terms.17
(2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall 18
endeavor to leverage available federal funds, including commodity 19
entitlement and cooperative agreements, to supplement and sustain the 20
Washington local food for schools program. 21
Sec. 4. RCW 28A.235.180 and 2025 c 314 s 11 are each amended to 22
read as follows: 23
(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this 24
specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public 25
instruction may coordinate with the department of agriculture to 26
promote and facilitate new and existing regional markets programs, 27
including farm-to-school initiatives established in accordance with 28
RCW 15.64.060, ((and)) small farm direct marketing assistance in 29
accordance with RCW 15.64.050, and the Washington local food for 30
schools program created in section 1 of this act . In coordinating 31
with the department of agriculture, the office of the superintendent 32
of public instruction is encouraged to provide technical assistance, 33
including outreach and best practices strategies, to school districts 34
with farm-to-school initiatives. 35
(2) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this 36
specific purpose, the regional markets programs of the department of 37
agriculture must be a centralized connection point for schools and 38
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other institutions for accessing and sharing information, tools, 1
ideas, and best practices for purchasing Washington-grown food.2
(a) In accordance with this subsection (2), program staff from 3
the department of agriculture may provide: 4
(i) Scale-appropriate information and resources to farms to help 5
them respond to the growing demand for local and direct marketed 6
products; and 7
(ii) Targeted technical assistance to farmers, food businesses, 8
and buyers, including schools, about business planning, access to 9
markets, product development, distribution infrastructure, and 10
sourcing, procuring, and promoting Washington-grown foods, including 11
food that might be going to waste. 12
(b) In accordance with this subsection (2), program staff from 13
the department of agriculture may provide technical assistance to:14
(i) Support new and existing farm businesses; 15
(ii) Maintain the economic viability of farms;16
(iii) Support compliance with applicable federal, state, and 17
local requirements; and 18
(iv) Support access and preparation efforts for competing in 19
markets that are a good fit for their scale and products, including 20
schools and public institutions, and direct-to-consumer markets that 21
include, but are not limited to, farmers markets, local retailers, 22
restaurants, value-added product developments, and agritourism 23
opportunities. 24
(3) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this 25
specific purpose, the regional markets programs of the department of 26
agriculture may support school districts in establishing or expanding 27
farm-to-school initiatives by providing information and guidance to 28
overcome barriers to purchasing Washington-grown food, including food 29
that might be going to waste. In accordance with this subsection (3), 30
regional markets program activities may include, but are not limited 31
to: 32
(a) Connecting schools and other institutions with farmers and 33
distribution chains; 34
(b) Overcoming seasonality constraints; 35
(c) Providing budgeting assistance; 36
(d) Navigating procurement requirements; 37
(e) Reducing food waste through the purchase of Washington-grown 38
food, consistent with the goals of RCW 70A.205.007 and 70A.205.715; 39
and 40
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(f) Developing educational materials that can be used in 1
cafeterias, classrooms, and in other educational environments.2
(4) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this 3
specific purpose, school districts and other institutions may 4
coordinate with the department of agriculture to promote and 5
facilitate new and existing farm-to-school initiatives. School 6
district representatives involved in these initiatives may include, 7
but are not limited to, school nutrition staff, purchasing staff, 8
student representatives, and parent organizations. 9
(5) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this 10
specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public 11
instruction may award grants to school districts to collaborate with 12
community-based organizations, food banks, and farms or gardens for 13
reducing high school dropout occurrences through farm engagement 14
projects. Projects established by school districts that receive 15
grants in accordance with this section must: 16
(a) Primarily target low-income and disengaged youth who have 17
dropped out or who are at risk of dropping out of high school; and18
(b) Provide participating youth with opportunities for:19
(i) Performing community service, including, but not limited to, 20
building food gardens for low-income families, and work-based 21
learning and employment during the school year and summer through 22
farm or garden programs; 23
(ii) Earning core and elective credits applied toward high school 24
graduation, including but not limited to, science, health, and career 25
and technical education credits; 26
(iii) Receiving development support and services, including 27
social and emotional learning, counseling, leadership training, and 28
career and college guidance; and 29
(iv) Improving food security for themselves and their community 30
through the project. 31
Sec. 5. RCW 15.64.060 and 2025 c 314 s 10 are each amended to 32
read as follows: 33
(1) A farm-to-school program is created within the department to 34
facilitate increased procurement of Washington grown food by schools.35
(2) The department, in consultation with the department of 36
health, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the 37
department of enterprise services, and Washington State University, 38
shall, in order of priority: 39
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(a) Identify and develop policies and procedures to implement and 1
evaluate the farm-to-school program, including coordinating with 2
school procurement officials, buying cooperatives, and other 3
appropriate organizations to develop uniform procurement procedures 4
and materials, including procedures enabling centralized aggregation 5
and distribution of Washington grown foods through the United States 6
department of agriculture foods distribution system, as defined in 7
section 1 of this act, of the office of the superintendent of public 8
instruction, and practical recommendations to facilitate the purchase 9
of Washington grown food by the common schools. These policies, 10
procedures, and recommendations shall be made available to school 11
districts to adopt at their discretion; 12
(b) Assist food producers, distributors, and food brokers to 13
market Washington grown food to schools and participate in state 14
procurement systems and master contracts by informing them of food 15
procurement opportunities, bid procedures, school purchasing 16
criteria, and other requirements; 17
(c) Assist schools in connecting with local producers by 18
informing them of the sources and availability of Washington grown 19
food, including food that might be going to waste including, but not 20
limited to, grade B produce, as allowed by federal regulations and 21
local requirements, as well as the nutritional, environmental, and 22
economic benefits of purchasing Washington grown food;23
(d) Identify and recommend mechanisms that will increase the 24
predictability of sales for producers and the adequacy of supply for 25
purchasers; 26
(e) Identify and make available existing curricula, programs and 27
publications that educate students on the nutritional, environmental, 28
and economic benefits of preparing and consuming locally grown food;29
(f) Support efforts to advance other farm-to-school connections 30
such as school gardens or farms and farm visits; and31
(g) As resources allow, seek additional funds to leverage state 32
expenditures. 33
(3) The department in cooperation with the office of the 34
superintendent of public instruction shall collect data on the 35
activities conducted pursuant to chapter 215, Laws of 2008 and 36
communicate such data biennially to the appropriate committees of the 37
legislature beginning November 15, 2009. Data collected ((may)) must 38
include the numbers of schools and farms participating and any 39
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increases in the procurement of Washington grown food by the common 1
schools. 2
(4) As used in this section, RCW 28A.335.190, and 28A.235.170, 3
"Washington grown" means grown and packed or processed in Washington.4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. This act may be known and cited as the 5
Washington local food for schools act.6
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