Thursday is Pride of Dakota School Lunch Day in North Dakota

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Students around North Dakota will be getting a taste of food from their own state.

Thursday is Pride of Dakota School Lunch Day for more than 44,000 students in 185 schools. They’ll dine on food grown by North Dakota farmers and ranchers and processed by local businesses.

The Agriculture Department says the goal is to teach students how food is raised and produced, and about the importance of agriculture to North Dakota.

More than 500 companies are members of the Agriculture Department’s Pride of Dakota branding program.