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Maine Marinara Collaborative’s Marinara Sauce and Maine Coast
Fishermen’s Association’s Monkfish Stew named the first two value-added products to qualify for the Maine Department of Education’s Local Foods Fund!
The Local Foods Fund is designed to support schools in procuring local produce, value-added dairy, and protein. The initiative matches $1 for every $3 spent by schools on eligible products, contributing to the development of robust local food systems. This October, the Fund expanded its qualified products to include processed and value-added products that meet the requirement of containing 51% or more agricultural raw materials grown, harvested, or produced in Maine.
The Maine Marinara Collaborative, now one of the first products to be approved under this expanded legislation, is a collective effort that sources tomatoes, carrots, squash, and onions from five local farms, three of which are owned and operated by members of the BIPOC community. These locally-sourced ingredients are processed into a flavorful marinara sauce, now featured on cafeteria menus across 19 different school districts in the state.
Read more about the Maine Marinara Collaborative and the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association's Monkfish Stew in the Portland Press Herald.
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