Local grape tomatoes featured in schools this month

Locally grown grape tomatoes are the featured produce for September in school cafeterias across Fayette County.

The Fayette County School System participates in the Georgia Farm to School program. The program was established to help provide healthy and nutritious food to students while also providing local farmers with consistent and dependable outlets for their products.

The grape tomatoes are from Osage Farms in Rabun Gap. They have a sweet flavor and firm texture, and are low in calories and high in vitamin C, potassium, antioxidants, and lycopene.

Locally grown food is defined as regional food within 400 miles of Fayette County. The Fayette County School System uses Royal Produce to purchase locally grown produce direct from the fields.

In the above photo, School Nutrition Program Assistant Lisa Jenkins at Robert J. Burch Elementary displays the fresh, local grape tomatoes that just arrived at the school.