NORWICH – Amidst growing concern of what kids are getting in school lunches nationwide, the Norwich City School District is taking new steps to ensure its students are eating healthier and educating them about agriculture and the process of getting food from the farm to the table.

The school district is pursuing a plan add gardens of fresh fruits and vegetables at all four schools in the city school district.

The goal is to have a garden in the courtyards of the middle school, high school and Perry Browne Elementary, and have designated space for a fenced-in garden at Gibson Primary, explained School Food Service Director Sue Ryan.

The idea behind the garden project is to encourage healthier eating habits and incorporate more fresh foods in school lunches while teaching students where their food comes from.

“School lunch now has become a joke,” Ryan said, noting state and federal school lunch standards that are below par in terms of nutrition and healthy eating habits. “Incorporating the concept of farm to table is important. It’s something they can carry with them through adulthood ... We don’t want kids to be so far removed from knowing where their food comes from.”

Now finishing her first year as the district’s food service director, Ryan said she has significantly decreased the amount of processed foods while increasing the amount of fresh produce in her daily food orders. The garden project is the next move in making healthier foods more available to students.