Students at more than 10,000 schools nationwide are eating fresh fruits and vegetables grown on nearby farms.

The bad news is that school food service staffs, who prepare our children's lunches, are only given $1 per meal to buy the food they serve.

While this amount has never been adequate to buy enough high quality food, the recent increase in food prices, especially fruits and vegetables, has made the job of feeding our children even more difficult. The extra cost of that fresh apple or a few leaves of vibrant green leaf lettuce would add as much as 25 cents to the cost of that meal, but that's 25 cents our schools don't have.

A bill now before the state Legislature would change this. "New Mexico-grown Produce for School Lunches" would provide enough money to the state's public schools to give every New Mexican child an extra two servings per week of fresh fruits and vegetables. Not only does this benefit children, but it also provides additional income to New Mexican farmers and strengthens local economies.

The environment is another beneficiary, as the less distance that food travels, the less carbon emissions — New Mexican food going to New Mexican children reduces global warming.

Our schools are not the only place where the price and availability of healthy food is a problem. In 12 rural counties like Hidalgo, Rio Arriba and Eddy, at least half of the residents must travel more than 10 miles to get to a good retail food store; some residents journey as far as 60 miles, and without a car or reliable public transportation, some hitchhike to reach the closest grocery store.

On top of that, a market-basket price survey conducted Farm to Table, a Santa Fe-based nonprofit organization, found that rural shoppers can pay as much as 65 percent more for their food than shoppers living in the state's metropolitan areas.

Poor food access and high food prices contributes to obesity, which increases health care costs for New Mexicans an astounding $324 million per year, much of which comes out of taxpayers' pockets.

A second bill before the Legislature, "The Manny Herrera Access to Healthy Foods Act" would invest in new and existing food outlets in order to give every New Mexican a fair chance for a healthy diet. Not only would both proposals help children and families eat more healthy food, much of that food would be purchased from New Mexican farmers. The results: healthier people, lower health care costs, new jobs and stronger local economies.

Let your state legislators know you support both bills because a few extra pennies for children and farmers will mean a big return for communities and taxpayers.

Marion Kalb is the director of the National Farm to School Program of the Community Food Security Coalition in Santa Fe.