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Bill Would Require More School Food Info

Parents may get more information about what’s in school lunches if their school district contracts with a private food service company.

Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre, D-Lindenhurst, introduced A.9686 recently to amend the state Education Law to require private food service management companies to provide ingredient lists and nutritional information for all the meals they provide school districts. Districts would also be required to publish the information on their school website.

“Making sure parents, legal guardians, and students have access to what they eat in schools is extremely important for the wellbeing of children in New York State. This piece of legislation will require private companies who are contracted by school districts to supply meals to disclose ingredient lists and nutritional information about what they are supplying,” Jean-Pierre wrote in her legislative justification. “This legislation will allow for transparency between private companies who produce meals for school districts and students, parents, and/or legal guardians. This legislation will hopefully start a conversation to understand what is in our school lunches and also help start a dialogue that will lead to students eating healthier meals in school.”

One other bill has been introduced in the state Legislature since January dealing with school lunches. S.7005 would require public schools to provide at least one flavored milk option, citing studies that consuming flavored milk can benefit children if they are drinking the flavored milk instead of soft drinks.

“Despite the clear health benefits associated with flavored milk in schools, some municipalities have proposed doing away with chocolate milk in their schools citing a desire to reduce sugar intake,” Sen. Daphne Jordan, D-Halfmoon, wrote in her legislative justification for S.7005. “However, school chocolate milk has only eight more grams of sugar than skim milk according to reporting by NBC New York. Dieticians — including one cited in the article — have made the point that the health benefits that flavored milk options provide far outweigh the minimal sugar increase they include. Consequently, well-intended local efforts to restrict milk choice will actually have a negative impact on the health and growth of the children of our state.”

Other school lunch legislation pending in the state Legislature includes A.1624/S.1472, which would require public schools to offer plant-based food options in school cafeterias. Sponsored by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, D-New York City, the plant-based foods would only have to be offered upon request of a student or parent.

The bills come in the wake of a second round of federal action to loosen regulations governing school meals that were implemented under former President Barack Obama. The current meal regulations were established under the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 spearheaded by former first lady Michelle Obama. That law set new standards for school meals for students in kindergarten through 12th grades to ensure children were receiving more vegetables, fruits, whole-grain rich foods, and fat-free milk. For example, the law required students to have fruit with every school breakfast, and mandated schools serve a set amount of a variety of vegetables that include both leafy greens and starchy plants.

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