Colorado may pay to get more local food in schools

Colorado is pondering spending about $1 million a year for five years to put more local produce in school cafeterias.

A grant program up for its first vote Wednesday in a House committee would make Colorado the 17th state to chip in grant money in addition to federal programs to help get more locally grown foods on cafeteria plates.

Colorado started a farm-to-school project in 2010, but the program hasn’t paid farmers to help put their food in school cafeterias. Bill sponsors call the grant program the next step for the program.