Fifty agricultural organizations sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack Tuesday urging him to strengthen enforcement of the Buy American provision of the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.
Buy American encourages participating school districts to buy supplies from U.S. vendors.
The organizations—including the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Agricultural Council of California—called for strengthening of the provision after finding out that the Sacramento City Unified School District had spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on imported Chinese canned fruit, such as pears, peaches and applesauce.
“Our organizations are deeply concerned that the Buy America Act requirements of the National School Lunch Act are not being adequately monitored… Since there is currently no transparency regarding school purchases of imported products, we much assume there are other districts throughout the country purchasing imported food products,” the organizations wrote.
The also noted that the act “greatly benefits” the country’s economy and “ensures the quality” of food students receive in school. Suggestions included more closely monitoring contractor performance and procurement specifications.