Nearly one million Florida children are at risk of going hungry every night. It’s an alarming number that has farms, food banks and state leaders looking for solutions. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried explained one answer is to salvage perfectly surplus produce that would otherwise be tossed out.
Buds of romaine and sprouting butter lettuce are grown under the greenhouse at Traders Hill Farms in Hilliard. The aquaponic system already reduces waste and how much they grow. However, even the most sustainable farms can wind-up with more than they can sell.
"It’s good food," Rachel Clark from Trader Hill Farms said. "It’s nutritional food. We take pride in what we grow and how we grow it."
Commissioner Fried is calling for a bill that would set aside $500,000 to help save fresh produce what might otherwise go to waste or be plowed over.
