In How Michigan Shaped the Field: The National Impact of Michigan’s 10 Cents a Meal Program, the report authors examine how a state-funded local food purchasing initiative influenced food policy development across the United States. The report explores the history, implementation, and broader impact of Michigan’s 10 Cents a Meal program, highlighting how it became a national model for local food purchasing incentives (LFPIs). Through surveys, interviews, and policy analysis, the authors demonstrate how Michigan’s approach influenced advocacy efforts, program design, implementation strategies, and evaluation practices in numerous states. The report not only documents the success of this food procurement program, but also illustrates how innovative public policies can shape broader food systems change.
The 10 Cents a Meal program began as a pilot project in 2016 and expanded into a statewide initiative supporting schools and early childhood education centers. The reimbursement program supports institutions in purchasing Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables, and legumes. This has increased access to fresh local foods while supporting regional farmers. Before the program was unexpectedly removed from the Michigan state budget in 2025, it helped feed healthy food to over 600,000 children across the state and generated over $7 million in revenue for Michigan farmers and food businesses in the 2024-25 program year.
In November 2025, The National Farm to School Network and Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems partnered to launch a national survey for advocates and practitioners to share how the 10 Cents a Meal Program impacted farm to school-related work and policies in their states. The survey collected responses from individuals in 16 states who represented state agencies, school nutrition departments, and advocacy organizations.
The 10 Cents a Meal National Impact Report, published in May 2026, details the insights provided by the national survey. Stakeholders identified the 10 Cents a Meal program as an important source of inspiration when developing their own local food purchasing initiatives. The report identifies five key areas of influence: program design, advocacy, evaluation, implementation, and the inclusion of funding for early childhood education settings. By providing a practical model and sharing implementation tools and evaluation data, Michigan helped establish local food purchasing incentives as a credible and effective policy strategy.
Despite 10 Cents a Meal being canceled in 2025-26, the program’s influence continues through the many policies and programs it inspired elsewhere. A central finding of the report is that Michigan’s impact extended far beyond state borders. For the last several months, program advocates have been working to restore 10 Cents a Meal in the FY27 Michigan state budget.
A key reason why 10 Cents had broad impact is that rather than simply providing funding, Michigan developed a framework that other states could adapt to their own circumstances. These findings emphasize the importance of evaluation in public policy, and highlight the idea that successful policy innovation can spread when program administrators provide evidence of measurable outcomes and practical implementation tools. Michigan invested heavily in documenting outcomes and publishing annual reports. These evaluations and commitment to transparency provided policymakers and advocates with evidence that local food purchasing incentives could support multiple goals simultaneously, including improving access to fresh foods for children, strengthening local agricultural economies, and building relationships between schools and farmers. The report notes that data collection and transparent reporting were essential factors in the program’s broader influence. Rather than relying solely on success stories, Michigan generated measurable evidence that other states could then use to justify similar investments.
The report also highlights Michigan’s leadership in expanding local food purchasing programs to include early childhood education providers. Michigan was among the first states to broaden the reach of farm-to-school initiatives and recognize the importance of introducing healthy, locally sourced foods to children under five. By incorporating childcare centers and home-based providers, Michigan demonstrated that local food purchasing programs could serve a wider population than traditional school-based initiatives. The authors suggest that this innovation influenced policy discussions in other states and helped establish early childhood education as an important component of farm-to-school programs.
While the report provides a compelling account of Michigan’s influence, the study also has limitations. It focuses primarily on policy development and implementation rather than long-term outcomes such as student health, educational achievement, or sustained economic benefits for farmers. Because the current evidence presented is persuasive, further research could examine these long-term impacts and, depending on study results, possibly strengthen the argument for expanding similar programs.
Overall, How Michigan Shaped the Field provides a detailed analysis of a relatively small state-funded initiative that helped shift policy nationwide. This successful policy initiative became an important case study in food system innovation. The report demonstrates how thoughtful program design, financial incentives, and rigorous evaluation can influence policy development far beyond a program’s state of origin. Its findings are particularly relevant for other states and and even other nations that want to continue to invest in school food programs and explore ways to strengthen local food systems.
Although additional research on long-term outcomes would be valuable, the report offers a persuasive argument that local food purchasing incentives can create meaningful benefits for children, schools, farmers, and communities. Michigan’s experience provides a useful example of how targeted financial incentives could complement existing farm-to-school programs and contribute to a more resilient and locally connected food system.
The work to restore 10 Cents a Meal in Michigan is not done! Please use this link to sign our current action alert and show your support for the program. 
Amanda Brezzell is Groundwork’s Policy & Engagement Specialist.
amanda.brezzell@groundworkcenter.org
