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On October 6, Sodexo- Jackmont served all Atlanta Public Schools (APS)a lunch featuring whole wheat penne pasta with meat sauce featuring Will Harris’ grass-fed beef that is grown and raised on White Oak Pastures farm in Bluffton, Georgia.  This is an initiative on behalf of School Food Focus to raise awareness about how easy it would be for large school districts to source grass-fed and locally grown meats for more healthful meals.

As a result of this initiative, APS will be the first urban school district servicing 48,000 students to serve grass-fed beef. Over 3200 pounds of beef was purchased from Harris’ farm. Rancher Harris visited Burgess Peterson, Toomer Elementary, Mary Lin and Springdale Park to speak with students, staff and parents about his grass-fed beef and the benefits of sustainable, locally grown foods. 

“This is a cause that is close to my heart, and I look forward to teaching children about the values of eating cattle that are raised the way nature intended,” says Harris. “Being able to provide premium quality beef that is healthy, nutritious and tasty for our city’s school system is truly an honor.”

Afterwards the response was overwhelming from parents and teachers both saying they purchased lunch or had it purchased for them. At one school I had a teacher say she had a student purchase lunch but the child was a vegetarian who wanted to support what Sodexo-Jackmont is striving to do in Atlanta Public Schools’ cafeteria.