Budget Amendment ID: FY2024-S3-638

EDU 638

Commission to study nutritional standards in schools

Mr. Lewis and Ms. Rausch moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting after section __ the following section:-

"SECTION __. (a) There shall be a commission for the purposes of studying nutrition standards and guidelines for school meals served in K-12 public schools in the commonwealth and developing recommendations for improvements to nutrition content. The commission shall review: (i) current federal nutrition standards and the updates proposed on February 7, 2023 to 7CFR Parts 210, 215, 220, 225 and 226 by the United States Department of Agriculture; (ii)current nutrition standards or guidelines used by K-12 schools in the commonwealth; (iii) nutrition requirements or best practices of states with enhanced standards beyond federal requirements; and (iv) nutrition standards determined to prevent chronic disease and optimize the short1553 term and long-term health of children in the commonwealth. The commission shall make recommendations on the feasibility of implementing measures to increase the nutrition of school foods, including, but not limited to: (A) enhancing standards for food served at schools in the commonwealth, including, but not limited to, the sugar content, dietary fiber content, limits of saturated fat and cholesterol in and ultra processing of products; (B) providing clearly-labeled daily vegetarian or vegan options; (C)accommodating religious, cultural, medical and non-medical dietary restrictions, including, but not limited to, food allergies and lactose intolerance; and (D) requiring foodservice providers to provide information to schools on the nutritional content of menu items and the location where the purchased produce is grown and processed."