Bill > HR8928

This bill, titled the "Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act," proposes to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act by establishing a pilot program to encourage "scratch cooking" in school meal programs. Scratch cooking is defined as preparing food using ingredients that are unprocessed or minimally processed. The program will award competitive grants to school food authorities, which are entities responsible for providing meals in schools, for a period of two school years. These grants can be used for various purposes, including professional development and training for staff on scratch cooking techniques, purchasing necessary cafeteria equipment or making infrastructure changes, covering employee compensation for additional preparation time, providing technical assistance and educational activities for students, and investing in technology for procurement. The bill prioritizes grants for school food authorities serving a high proportion of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, those that are self-operated or plan to become self-operated, and those with employees represented by a collective bargaining agreement or who agree to negotiate one. A technical assistance and resource center will be established to help grant recipients assess their needs and develop strategic plans. Schools receiving grants will be required to report on the changes in their use of whole or raw ingredients and the percentage of meals prepared using scratch cooking. The bill authorizes $20 million annually through fiscal year 2031 to fund this pilot program, with specific allocations for administrative expenses and the technical assistance center.