California Schools Break Another Organic Produce Record With DoD Fresh 

In the 2025–26 school year, California schools purchased more organic produce through the Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (DoD Fresh) than ever before. Schools purchased a record $5.76 million in organic produce, continuing a remarkable period of growth in organic purchasing across the state. 

Last year, Friends of the Earth reported a record-breaking $3.37 million in organic produce sales through DoD Fresh. Just one year later, that record was surpassed again, with schools purchasing $5.76 million in organic produce through the program. The growth demonstrates the increasing demand for organic fruits and vegetables among California school districts and the importance of making organic produce accessible and affordable through existing school food purchasing programs.  

Because schools can now access organic through DoD Fresh and their prime vendors, they can dedicate USDA entitlement funds toward produce that’s healthier, tastier, and better for the climate. In 2025–26, that record $5.76 million in sales translated to 1.98 million pounds of organic produce that can make its way onto school meal trays through salads, sides, soups, smoothies, sauces, and more.  

And it’s not just the volume of organic produce that has grown. The range of products available to schools has also grown. When Friends of the Earth began working with California’s DoD Fresh Prime Vendors in 2020, there were no organic produce offerings available to California schools through DoD Fresh. In 2025–26, schools had access to 26 organic produce items, including several new offerings introduced in recent years. A total of 41 unique organic produce items have been offered in California across the program’s lifespan. 

What Does This Look Like on the Ground? 

So, what does this look like in school cafeterias? Across California, 415 districts across the state are now purchasing organic through DoD Fresh — and that number is expected to keep growing. That’s 23 more districts than last school year.  

Tahoe Truckee USD is one particular organic superstar. That district devoted 76% of its DoD Fresh entitlement to organic produce. On a daily basis, that might look like tasty organic carrots and pears served on the salad bar, sliced Ambrosia apples offered for breakfast, or lunch sides of whole organic peaches and plums from Frog Hollow Farms and delicious organic melons. Another district, Live Oak School District, provides a terrific example of the growth in organic that happened this last school year. The district spent 79% of its entitlement on organic produce via DoD Fresh, from crunchy kale to juicy strawberries.  The district’s nutrition director, Kelsey Perusse, explained: “We love serving our students freshly grown, nutrient dense food. We try to serve organic produce as often as possible. We grow some of our own organic produce, support local organic farmers and buy organic through DoD Fresh! Being able to use our entitlement dollars enables us to supplement what we get locally and offer organic produce frequently to our students, who absolutely love it.” 

As the school year continues to kick into gear, we hope you’ll take a moment to celebrate the huge strides that went into this accomplishment, and the terrific nutrition directors, staff, farmers, and vendors that helped make this possible. Thanks to this work, California students enjoyed another year of tasty, healthy, and climate-friendly fruits and vegetables, and contributed toward a safer environment for those who grow our food.  

Our Story: Building a Pathway to Organic 

This growth didn’t happen by accident. Friends of the Earth began working with California’s DoD Fresh Prime Vendors in 2020 after identifying an opportunity to make organic produce more accessible to school districts through the program. At the time, there were No organic produce offerings available to California schools through DoD Fresh. 

Since then, Friends of the Earth has worked with Prime Vendors, school districts, and other partners to expand organic offerings, understand what schools want to purchase, and help build a stronger pathway for organic produce through the program. Today, districts can access a growing range of organic fruits and vegetables through FFAVORS and use their USDA entitlement dollars to purchase them. 

The results are significant. Since SY 2021–22, California schools have purchased more than $11.4 million in organic produce through DoD Fresh. 

For Friends of the Earth, this progress demonstrates what is possible when schools, vendors, and advocates work together to create greater access to organic food. What began as an opportunity we identified in 2020 has grown into a purchasing pathway used by hundreds of California school districts and a model with potential to expand beyond California. 

¿Que sigue? 

The work does not stop here. Friends of the Earth continues to advocate for expanded organic offerings through the DoD Fresh Program and the FFAVORS system nationwide, encouraging more states to join this effort. As states increase their DoD Fresh organic options, school districts gain greater flexibility, and more students have access to food that is healthy and good for the planet. To learn more about DoD Fresh and how to access DoD Fresh organic produce from your district, check out our dedicated página.  

About Friends of the Earth’s Climate-Friendly School Food Program  

Friends of the Earth’s Climate-Friendly School Food Program helps school districts make shifts toward healthy, delicious, organic, plant-forward menus that are better for kids and the planet. We work with over 100 school districts in California, as well as state agencies, NGO partners and organic and regenerative farmers and ranchers to increase access to healthy, local, plant-forward food. We provide organic procurement and plant-based technical assistance and marketing materials, support student and community engagement strategies, and link school districts with the resources they need in order to be successful. Our Organic School Food Initiative, launched in California, aims to make organic foods available to every student.  We also partner with school districts and NGOs to advocate for state and federal policy change. For more information or to request support please email [email protected].