advocacy, school nutrition
'Nourishing Roots, Growing Futures'
By Rachel Lord, Advocacy and Policy Director
Alaska has 53 school districts, most of which participate in a variety of nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. The State of Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (DEED) Child Nutrition Program supports the schools in compliance and oversight. The Student Nutrition Association is a national nonprofit that supports student nutrition members across the country. The Alaska School Nutrition Association (AKSNA) is our statewide chapter organization, run by a volunteer board selected from members representing school nutrition directors and agency partners.
AKSNA holds an annual conference, and at the end of January I attended for the second year in a row. This year’s theme was ‘Nourishing Roots, Growing Futures’. It’s a fantastic learning opportunity, and there is something really grounding about being in a room with the people who are doing the day to day work of feeding kids across Alaska.
On the first day, I attended a training on school food procurement and left with a much deeper understanding of both the complexities and the challenges facing our school meal programs. One of the most striking points was that traditional procurement frameworks often leave out key parts of the picture, especially the producers at the very beginning of the food value chain and, very relevant in Alaska, the transporters who make distribution possible. Schools are navigating relationships with manufacturers, brokers, distributors, and USDA, all within their own district timelines and procurement requirements. Menu planning is driven by federal nutrition standards and further shaped by cost, labor, product availability, and both federal and local procurement rules. There is a huge amount of coordination and documentation behind every meal in every school, and even then, the full system including producers and transporters, is not always reflected in how procurement is taught or understood.
There is continued interest, and ongoing barriers, in getting more Alaska Grown and Alaska-produced foods into schools, including fish. Many districts are still trying to figure out who to call, what is actually available, and how to make local purchasing work within federal rules. DEED has provided some resources on their website, and we’re working together and with other partners to grow opportunities. Looking ahead, our School Nutrition Working Group will be focused on Alaska Grown and produced food opportunities, especially building stronger connections between in-state producers, manufacturers, and schools. The Alaska Food Value Chain Coordination Council will be digging next into institutional procurement strategies to help move more food through Alaska’s system.
During the food procurement training, participants discussed some of the missing players in the supply chain list – including producers and transporters.
We heard from education department staff from Alaska and Wyoming on their new collaborative Team Nutrition mentorship grant, which will bring new tools and resources to districts working with the state. AFPC was glad to support that effort. There is real potential there, and we look forward to seeing those resources continue to grow.
I had the chance to share more about AFPC’s work, including the Food Value Chain Coordination Council, our developing food data dashboard, working groups, and advocacy resources. We shared how partnership and collaboration are at the core of how we work, and our gratitude for being able to attend the Student Nutrition Association’s conference. You can see our presentation slides here.
AFPC Board Member Amy Foote shared her work with the Niqipiaq program and incorporating Indigenous foods into school meals. She spoke to the importance of cultural relevance, but also to the very real, practical work of recipe development, scaling, and sharing knowledge across districts. That theme of learning from each other showed up throughout the conference.
The Alaska School Nutrition Association Trade Show in January, where vendors come to showcase foods available for procurement for school meals.
And then there was the vendor show on Thursday. It is a chance to see and taste what is actually available to schools, including products from both national and (at least a couple) Alaska-based vendors. It makes the procurement conversation very real, very quickly.
I left the conference feeling both the weight of the challenges for Alaska’s schools and a lot of support and connection. There is a strong commitment across the state to keep improving, to keep learning from each other, and to find ways to make the system work better for Alaska’s kids. I am grateful to be part of those conversations, and excited for what comes next.
