Lawmakers hear support and implementation questions for Keystone Fresh Act to expand Pennsylvania produce in school meals

Harrisburg — Lawmakers heard broad support and detailed implementation questions for House Bill 1768, the Keystone Fresh Act, at a joint House Agriculture & Rural Affairs and House Education Committee informational hearing. Representative Burgos, the bill sponsor, said the measure is designed to increase Pennsylvania-grown produce in school meals, support family and veteran farmers, and connect students with where their food comes from. "More fresh, local, and healthy food in our cafeterias will make lunches more desirable and nutritious and ensure that more tax dollars stay right here in our communities," Burgos said.

State officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture described existing farm-to-school efforts and the practical limits schools and producers face. Vonda Grama, State Director of Child Nutrition Programs at the Department of Education, said Pennsylvania schools served roughly 192,000,000 lunches and 93,000,000 breakfasts in the 2024–25 school year and that participating in farm-to-school activities has grown in recent years. Grama noted the department’s culinary trainings, mini grants, the PA Harvest of the Month resources and an LFPI study that found local programs need simple reimbursement and stable, substantial funding to scale.

Karen Long Earl, director of the Bureau of Food Assistance at the Department of Agriculture, described the state’s recent experience with the federal Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) cooperative agreement, which she said was abruptly canceled by USDA. "Over the three years that LFPA operated in Pennsylvania, our department used approximately $28,000,000 to source nearly 30,000,000 pounds of locally produced Pennsylvania product from 189 Pennsylvania producers," Earl said, adding those products were distributed through regional food banks to households facing food insecurity. Earl said the Shapiro administration has filed suit against USDA to attempt to restore that funding.

Representatives pressed witnesses on technical details lawmakers said must be clarified before the bill advances. Representative Schlegel asked whether early-care providers that participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) would be covered; Grama said CACFP operates under a different federal program and that smaller childcare centers sometimes find local sourcing easier but can be limited by staffing. Representative Gleim asked how nonuniform enrollment-based award ranges in the bill would translate to precise grant amounts; witnesses replied the ranges provide a framework but that application criteria and scoring would need to be developed in rulemaking or bill drafting.

A pointed line of questioning focused on the bill’s language that gives preference to applicants defined as "socially disadvantaged." Representative Mao pressed who would decide how that status is applied and warned the current statutory-style list is broad. Witnesses replied they would follow the legislation’s direction and that further drafting and potential amendments are needed to make the criteria clear and administrable.

Speakers with direct experience implementing local purchasing described how the program could work in practice. Crystal Hampton Davis, a Pennsylvania producer, and Joseph Edmonson, a culinary instructor and director of food service at Columbia Montour AVTS, described existing district–producer relationships supplying ground beef, eggs, pork and produce. Edmonson outlined school food-service budgets and federal reimbursement rates, saying cafeterias operate as self-sustaining enterprises and that margins make consistent local purchasing difficult: "We stretch every dollar, but that margin leaves very little room to buy local products consistently," he said.

School food-service leaders described operational barriers and possible solutions. Kelly Price, food-service director for Manheim Township School District, and Donna Robbins, the district’s chief operating officer, said staffing, on-site processing and equipment are constraints when districts receive local produce in large bulk bins. Price highlighted investments — such as processing equipment and technical assistance — that would make bulk local produce usable in large district operations and said the Keystone Fresh Act’s equipment and training provisions would address many of those gaps.

Student testimony underscored the educational and cultural value of local sourcing. Gage Monroe, a senior in the Columbia Montour vocational culinary program, said working with locally sourced ingredients improved meals and student pride, and argued the bill would help sustain rural economies and teach students about agriculture.

No formal action or vote was taken at the informational hearing. Lawmakers indicated they will continue to refine bill language and consider amendments focused on eligibility definitions, award criteria, and practical supports for processing and procurement before advancing the Keystone Fresh Act.