Procuring Harvest of the Month Items
All of the Harvest of the Month items are produced in Pennsylvania, and local product should be available through at least some purchasing channels in the designated month. Since one of the aims of the program is to support Pennsylvania producers, ideally the Harvest of the Month items served as part of meals and taste tests will be grown / produced in Pennsylvania. For occasions or items when this might not be possible, including the item on the menu or in taste tests still is valuable for promotion of items that can be produced inPennsylvania. Resources for finding local, Pennsylvania products include the following:
- Connect with local producers through
produce auctions,
farmer's markets, and
farm markets.
- Inquire with distributors which of the Harvest of the Month items they source from local farms. If they do not already purchase these items locally, asking about it helps them to know that their customers have interest in their carrying these local products.
- Determine if the item is available through the DOD Fresh Program. The FFAVORS catalog lists the state of the product’s origin.
The links provided are meant to help schools locate local producers but they are not exhaustive lists and a producer’s appearance on any list does not represent an endorsement by the Pennsylvania Department of Education or Project PA.
Remember that local, state, and federal procurement regulations must be followed whenever making purchases in the federal Child Nutrition Programs. For information about local procurement, see the “Local Procurement“ page under the Resources tab on this website.