Farm to School — Tools for Producers
Direct Marketing to Schools
Farmers in a fieldIf you are a producer who wants to establish new markets for your fruits and vegetables, you can start by contacting our office. Today, school nutrition directors work to include more fruits and vegetables from local sources in their menus and have numerous resources to help them accomplish their goals. You will find that many school nutrition professionals are willing to work with you to establish supply lines for your products. Here are some resources to help you prepare for working with schools. 

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Selling Directly to a School
Family Selling ProduceConnecting Texas Producers with Statewide Nutrition Programs
We’re making it simple for Texas producers to connect with local schools, child and adult care centers, and summer meal programs. Farm Fresh Network members provide a wide variety of seasonally available Texas-grown food products. Click here to learn more about joining!


Texas Food Companies Decision Tool
Selling to Schools
Try the tool now!
There are several avenues for selling food products to Texas schools. This tool will help guide you through two considerations when deciding whether school food service is a marketplace for your products and provide information about how a company can sell food products to schools. There are two questions at the beginning of the tool related to estimated annual gross sales and distribution capacity.


Federal and State Regulations

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Assistance available in English and Spanish. Please call 877-TEX-MEAL (877-839-6325) for help. Additional translations services available as well.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
 

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
 

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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