legislation and regulation

Operations

USDA nixes Philly pilot

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided to terminate the 17-year-old Universal Feeding Program, at the 167,000-student School District of Philadelphia

Operations

Colorado school district hires Ann Cooper as Consultant

Boulder Valley (Colo.) School District has hired Ann Cooper, director of nutrition services for the Berkeley (Calif.) Unified School District, to revamp its school meal program.

In New York, the City Council is prohibiting the sale of "junk food" and soda in all city schools during specified hours.

Sen Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) have introduced legislation to allow the Secretary of Agriculture to more effectively restrict the sale of soft drinks and other foods of minimal nutritional value in schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

School foodservice authorities across the country that serve meals which satisfy federal dietary guidelines may soon qualify for special financial rewards, under a new incentive program being developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Growing international tensions over U.S. military action in Iraq are beginning to spill over onto the menu boards at the U.S. House of Representatives' cafeteria.

The nation's foodservice operators may soon receive new federal tax incentives to expand or renovate their facilities, under legislation advanced by Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) that calls for faster write-offs of restaurant buildings.

Foodservice operators and employers in other private sector industries would be allowed to offer their workers the same "family friendly" scheduling flexibility available to federal government employees, under new legislation pending in Congress.

U.S. Labor Department regulators are moving to repeal a controversial parental leave wage subsidy that foodservice industry leaders fear may have diverted funds desperately needed by laid off workers.

A California assemblyman plans to introduce legislation this month that would urge the state's public schools to offer daily vegetarian/vegan lunch options.

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