The Farm-to-School (FTS) movement in the United States began in the 1990s, in response to student health concerns and growing interest in local food policies. FTS projects have been widely supported by policy makers at state and federal levels, yet many of the outcomes of this inflow of policy and funding remain unclear, often due to insufficient data. With detailed food purchasing numbers from Buffalo City Schools (the second largest district in the state and the largest to qualify for enhanced reimbursement), Schmit et al estimate the gross and net economic impacts of the policy through a customized input–output model, and they observe clear shifts in food spending categories that suggest changes in what and where foods were purchased.
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