Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller recognized Plano ISD with a "Best of the Bunch" award for its achievement in the Texas Department of Agriculture’s 2017 Local Products Challenge (LPC). Every October, the LPC encourages school nutrition teams to incorporate more Texas products into meals and teach children about healthy lifestyles and Texas agriculture. Plano ISD earned the award by meeting the highest standards of the challenge. Cynthia Lee, directorr for food and nutritional services, accepted the award at the Local Products Challenge award ceremony in Austin, Texas in June.  

Texas Agriculture Assistant Commissioner Angela Olige (left) presents Plano ISD Food and Nutritional Services Director Cynthia Lee with the Local Product Challenge "Best of the Bunch" award from the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Each year, Texas schools in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program serve more than 900 million meals. The Texas Department of Agriculture’s Local Products Challenge and other efforts, such as Commissioner Miller’s Farm Fresh Initiative, encourage schools to keep their buying power close to home to support Texas agriculture and local businesses.

Nearly 180 school districts participated in the 2017 Local Products Challenge – up nearly 23 percent from 2016. This year, 75 school districts, less than 10 persent of districts in the state, earned the award. This accomplishment by Plano ISD honors our commitment to providing good nutrition and teaching students about the importance of Texas agriculture.