Bill > HR7748

This bill, the Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act, aims to establish a pilot program that promotes scratch cooking in school meal programs. The key provisions include: 1. The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish a 2-year competitive grant program for school food authorities to support scratch cooking, which is defined as the preparation of food using unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients. 2. Grant funds can be used for purposes such as professional development, equipment and infrastructure upgrades, employee compensation, and technology systems to support scratch cooking. 3. Priority will be given to school food authorities that serve the highest proportion of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, are self-operated or will become self-operated, and have or will have collective bargaining agreements with their employees. 4. The Secretary will provide technical assistance to grant recipients through a partnership with a nonprofit organization. 5. Grant recipients must report on changes in the use of whole/raw ingredients and the percentage of menu items prepared with scratch cooking. 6. The bill authorizes $20 million per fiscal year through 2028 to fund the pilot program, with reservations for technical assistance and other administrative expenses.