We Applaud Colorado Executive Order Supporting Healthy Food Access

On May 21, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order, which will implement a statewide plan supporting healthy food access for Coloradans.

In his executive order, Governor Polis mentioned the Chef Ann Foundation’s Healthy School Food Pathway program as an initiative that can support the state’s healthy food access goals and bolster the priorities of multiple state agencies, such as the Department of Education and Department of Labor and Employment. This, coupled with Apprenticeship Colorado — the State Apprenticeship Agency in the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment — recently awarding Chef Ann Foundation its Outstanding Program Award, signals that Colorado is making investing in the school food workforce a state priority.

We were also thrilled to see mention of other Colorado initiatives that support healthy school meals for Colorado students, such as Colorado Proud and the Local Food Program, which work to get more local and state-grown and produced products on student trays, and Colorado’s Healthy School Meals for All program, which has provided universal free meals to Colorado students since 2023.

Healthy school food is a policy priority that cuts across multiple sectors, including food and nutrition, agriculture and local economies, and jobs and workforce development. We applaud Governor Polis and state leaders for recognizing the work Colorado school food professionals and advocates have been doing for decades and its impact that extends well beyond the cafeteria.

We stand ready to continue supporting Colorado and its leaders as they work to improve healthy meal access for students in the months and years ahead. When school meals are free, locally sourced, and scratch-cooked by professionals who are resourced and valued, we all win.