In a victory for school foodservice operations, federal legislators have tacked a new provision onto the federal appropriations bill that would allocate $1 million for studying Child Nutrition Programs reporting requirements.
The study would look for ways to streamline the reporting system foodservice operators must use to receive funding for meal programs, according to the School Nutrition Association, who had advocated for the clause.
“SNA is pleased that the bill includes funding to study ways to streamline federal reporting requirements for Child Nutrition Programs,” said Diane Pratt-Heavner, spokesperson for the School Nutrition Association. “A more efficient reporting system will allow school nutrition professionals to focus more of their time on improving menus and service.”
School foodservice professionals complain that the reporting requirements are cumbersome and time consuming, and that the results could be achieved through more efficient means.
Other elements of the bill include $23.2 billion in mandatory funding for Child Nutrition Programs. It will uphold hardship exemptions for whole-grain standards and lock in current sodium-reduction requirements until scientific research demonstrates a need for more extreme action.
The appropriations bill is still in the committee stage and has yet to be put to a vote by the full U.S. House of Representatives.