Milk options in schools are once again in the legislative limelight. It was also a busy week at the state level, with lawmakers advancing a handful of bills.
Here’s the latest in school nutrition legislation.
Lawmakers re-attempt to require schools to offer flavored milk
Another U.S. lawmaker is looking to ensure students have the option to drink flavored milk during school lunch.
Congressman Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) introduced the Milk is Indisputably Liked by Kids Act of 2023 (MILK Act), which would require schools to offer flavored milk as part of their school meal program.
The bill is similar to a piece of legislation introduced earlier this year by U.S. Representative Elise Stefani (R-N.Y.), which would also mandate that schools offer at least one flavored milk option daily.
Milk offerings in schools have been in the spotlight recently. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is debating whether to remove flavored milk as an option for younger students as part of its proposed changes to the School Nutrition Standards. Other lawmakers have pointed out the lack of plant-based milk options in schools and introduced a bill that would require soy milk to be offered during lunch.
Federal bill would increase access to Fruit and Vegetable Program
Senator Marco Rubio has introduced The Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Act of 2023, which would expand the USDA’s Fruit and Vegetable Program to include any school that participates in the Community Eligibility Provision. It would also allow middle schools and high schools to participate in the program.
In addition, the bill would require that produce purchased for the program be grown in the country, although the bill’s text states that the requirement may be waived if “a product grown in the United States cannot be purchased for less than 25 percent more than a foreign-sourced product.”
“Improving children’s access to healthy fruits and vegetables at school will positively impact their lives,” Sen. Rubio said in a statement. “My legislation will ensure that low-income children across the country have more access to healthy, nutritious food grown right here in America.”
Connecticut lawmakers pass bill incentivizing farm-to-school
The Connecticut Senate and House have passed a bill that will provide a monetary incentive to schools that use local products in meals.
If signed into law, S.B. 1 will reimburse schools half of their total expenses for products sourced from the state and a third of their total expenses for products procured from New York, Massachusetts, Vermont Maine, New Hampshire or Rhode Island. The bill would go into effect at the start of 2024.
School breakfast gets a boost in Maryland
Breakfast programs at low-income schools in Maryland will get additional funding under a new bill signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore.
SB 599 will increase school breakfast funding in the state from $7.5 million to just over $12 million. The additional funds will be directed toward breakfast programs at schools where at least 40% of the student body is eligible for free meals and will supplement federal funding.
Nevada’s universal free meals bill advances
The Nevada State Assembly has advanced a bill that would utilize state funding to continue providing universal free meals to students through the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
The state was one of several that decided to continue offering universal free meals after the USDA’s pandemic-related child nutrition waivers expired in June 2022.
That bill is now headed to the Senate.
See which states currently offer universal free meals via the map below: