Maine Expands Local Foods Fund to Help Schools Buy More Local Food
Maine’s commitment to supporting local producers and healthy school meals is getting a boost this year with a significant expansion of the State’s Local Foods Fund. The Local Foods Fund has helped schools across the state purchase food directly from Maine farmers and fishermen by reimbursing a portion of local food purchases through the state Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Programs.
Under the original structure established in 2021, Maine public schools receive $1 back for every $3 they spend on approved local foods up to $5,000 annually. This incentive helped cover some of the cost difference between local products and other food purchases, while supporting Maine’s agricultural economy.
In 2025, the Maine Legislature passed the Act to Promote Local Seafood in Schools, strengthening and expanding the Local Foods Fund. The updated law raises the reimbursement rate so schools now receive $1 for every $2 they spend on Maine-grown, caught, or produced foods, and increases the maximum reimbursement to $10,000 per school district.
State child nutrition officials say this change will help districts go further with every dollar they spend and open up new opportunities to serve local seafood and other Maine products in school meals.
Over recent years, Maine schools have shown increasing interest in sourcing locally: in the last reporting period, districts spent roughly $600,000 on Maine-grown food and received about $205,000 in reimbursements through the Local Foods Fund for the 2024-2025 school year. Since the Fund was expanded, Maine schools have already spent $600,000 on local food in the first four months of the 2025–2026 school year, demonstrating how the enhanced incentive is helping districts move more local products into their cafeterias.
These enhancements to the Local Foods Fund are part of Maine’s broader Farm & Sea to School efforts, which encourage schools to build relationships with producers, strengthen local food economies, and provide children with nutritious, locally sourced meals. As federal programs that once supported local purchasing shift and change, the state’s investment in Maine-grown foods helps ensure that schools can continue — and expand — their use of local ingredients!
Learn more:
https://www.maine.gov/doe/schools/nutrition/programs/localfoods/producefund
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