The nation’s school meals programs would get a boost under bipartisan legislation introduced on March 18 by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).
The School Food Modernization Act, S. 876, which Sen. Collins sponsored with cosponsor U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), would amend current law to require the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to make loan guarantees and grants to finance certain improvements to school lunch facilities and to train school food service personnel, according to the congressional record bill summary.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the importance of school meals for many families. Across the country, schools and nutrition programs have adapted to remote and hybrid learning models during the pandemic,” Sen. Collins said. “They have done a tremendous job working to support the nutritional needs of students despite school closures.”
But more needs to be done, the senator said.
“In addition to demonstrating the indispensable value of school nutrition, COVID-19 has further highlighted long-standing equipment needs as many schools currently lack the right tools for preparing and storing meals rich in fresh ingredients,” said Senator Collins. “Our bipartisan bill would help schools purchase equipment and provide training to allow food service personnel to offer a wide variety of nutritious meals for students.”
If enacted, S. 876 would provide targeted grant assistance to upgrade kitchen infrastructure or to purchase high-quality equipment; establish a loan guarantee assistance program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help schools acquire new equipment to prepare and serve healthier meals; and authorize USDA to provide support on a competitive basis to highly qualified third-party trainers to develop and administer training and technical assistance to food service personnel, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Collins’ office.
The legislation is supported by the Maine School Nutrition Association, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, FoodCorps, and United Fresh Produce.
“Now more than ever we know how important it is that our school children eat healthy meals with lots of fruits and vegetables. School kitchens must have the appropriate equipment to be able to provide children the foods they need,” said Robert Guenther, senior vice president at United Fresh.