Twin Cities schools launch local food program

The Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts will serve students a meal made entirely with Minnesota-sourced ingredients on the first Thursday of each month during the upcoming school year.

The effort is called Minnesota Thursdays and will feature items grown or raised within 75 miles of the Twin Cities.

Andrea Northup coordinates the Farm to School nutrition program for Minneapolis Public Schools.

"While we may source quite a number of things locally on our menus regularly, this one day everything from soup to nuts is locally sourced," Northup said.

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The program will help support the local economy and introduce students to healthier foods, she said.

Menu for first Minnesota Thursday meal on September 4:

• Grass-fed beef hot dogs from Thousand Hills Cattle Company in Cannon Falls

• Hot dog buns from Pan-O-Gold Bakery in St. Cloud

• Cucumbers from Gardens of Eagan in Northfield

• Corn on the cob from Pahl Farms in Apple Valley

• Watermelon from Riverside Farms in Elk River