(1) The Washington grown fresh fruit and vegetable grant program is created in the office of the superintendent of public instruction. The purpose of the program is to facilitate consumption of Washington grown nutritious snacks in order to improve student health and expand the market for locally grown fresh produce.
(2) For purposes of this section, "fresh fruit and vegetables" includes perishable produce that is unprocessed, minimally processed, frozen, dried, or otherwise prepared, stored, and handled to maintain its fresh nature while providing convenience to the user. Producing minimally processed food involves cleaning, washing, cutting, or portioning.
(3) The program shall increase the number of school children with access to Washington grown fresh fruits and vegetables and shall be modeled after the United States department of agriculture fresh fruit and vegetable program, as described in 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1769(g). Schools receiving funds under the federal program are not eligible for grants under the Washington grown fresh fruit and vegetable grant program.
(4)(a) To the extent that state funds are appropriated specifically for this purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall solicit applications, conduct a competitive process, and make one or two-year grants to a mix of urban and rural schools to enable eligible schools to provide free Washington grown fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the school day.
(b) When evaluating applications and selecting grantees, the superintendent of public instruction shall consider and prioritize the following factors:
(i) The applicant's plan for ensuring the use of Washington grown fruits and vegetables within the program;
(ii) The applicant's plan for incorporating nutrition, agricultural stewardship education, and environmental education into the snack program;
(iii) The applicant's plan for establishing partnerships with state, local, and private entities to further the program's objectives, such as helping the school acquire, handle, store, and distribute Washington grown fresh fruits and vegetables.
(5)(a) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall give funding priority to applicant schools with any of grades kindergarten through eight that: Participate in the national school lunch program and have fifty percent or more of their students eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the federal national school lunch act, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1751 et seq.
(b) If any funds remain after all eligible priority applicant schools have been awarded grants, the office of the superintendent of public instruction may award grants to applicant schools having less than fifty percent of the students eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
(6) The office of the superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules to carry out the grant program.
(7) With assistance from the Washington department of agriculture, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop and track specific, quantifiable outcome measures of the grant program such as the number of students served by the program, the dollar value of purchases of Washington grown fruits and vegetables resulting from the program, and development of state, local, and private partnerships that extend beyond the cafeteria.
(8) As used in this section, "Washington grown" has the definition in RCW
15.64.060.
