Scary salmonella should
not stop you from enjoying a tasty tomato this summer or during the school season. Programs such as
Farm to School that link local farmers to schools provide the necessary
accountability and food safety awareness that allows children k-12 to enjoy
cherry tomatoes without fear.
Recently at Larchmont Charter and Riverside Unified schools,
Vanessa Zajfen, a Farm to Institution Coordinator at the Center for Food &
Justice, conducted a taste test of three varieties of organic tomatoes with the
children, just days after the salmonella tomato outbreak (see picture).
“The kids loved it. Not only were the tomatoes fresh and
delicious, but they were safe. We had tomatoes from the school garden and a
local farm. I would gladly serve Tutti Frutti Farms tomatoes to a school group
rather than industrial grown, globally sourced tomatoes any day!”
From a handful of programs just ten years ago, there are now
approximately 2,000 Farm to School programs in over 10,000 schools across 39
states. For examples of projects around the country, visit www.farmtoschool.org.
Mortgage Lifter, Striped German, Green Zebra, and Cherokee
Purple tomatoes should still be on your menus…just know the farmer who picked
them off the vine.
Comments