Sec. 205. Kitchen improvement and personnel training
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/bill/117/hr/8450/ih/section-205·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Section 12(d) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1760(d) ) is amended by— redesignating paragraphs
(7)through
(9)as paragraphs
(8)through (10), respectively; and by adding after paragraph
(6)the following: The term scratch cooking means the preparation of food using ingredients that are unprocessed or minimally processed. . The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act is amended by inserting after section 21 ( 42 U.S.C. 1769b–1 ) the following: Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a program to award grants, on a competitive basis, to school food authorities to promote scratch cooking. To be eligible for a grant under this section, a school food authority shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. The Secretary shall award a grant of not more than $100,000 to each school food authority with an application selected under this subsection. A grant awarded under this section shall be for a period of not more than 2 years. A school food authority that receives a grant under this section shall use such grant funds to promote scratch cooking, including by— offering professional development and training related to preparing, procuring, advertising, serving, and creating menus of meals made with scratch cooking; investing in software and technology systems for procurement to support scratch cooking; compensating employees for additional food preparation required for scratch cooking; providing technical assistance, student engagement, and education with respect to scratch cooking, including taste tests, recipe development, and culinary education; or carrying out any additional activities to promote scratch cooking that will help school food authorities meet or exceed the nutrition standards for the school lunch program authorized under this Act and the school breakfast program established by section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 ( 42 U.S.C. 1773 ). In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to school food authorities— that serve the greatest proportion of students eligible for free or reduced price lunch under this Act; and that— are self-operated; or provide an assurance to the Secretary that the school food authority will be self-operated on or before the date that is 1 year before the last day of the grant period. The Secretary shall enter into an agreement with one or more eligible third-party institutions to establish and carry out a single technical assistance and resource center to provide technical assistance for school food service personnel. As soon as practicable after receiving a grant under this section, a school food authority shall collaborate with the technical assistance and resource center established under paragraph
(1)to— conduct a scratch cooking needs assessment to evaluate, with respect to such school food authority— equipment needs; equipment utilization; procurement processes; and workforce capabilities; and establish a strategic plan based on such needs assessment to carry out the activities under subsection (d). For purposes of this subsection, the term eligible third-party institution means— a nonprofit organization with demonstrated experience in food or nutrition services training and technical assistance; an institution of higher education as defined in section 101 or 102(a)(1)(B) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001 ; 1002(a)(1)(B)); an area career and technical education school as defined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 ( 20 U.S.C. 2302 ); or a consortium of entities described in subclauses
(I)through (III). The Secretary shall establish specific criteria that eligible third-party training institutions must meet to qualify to enter into an agreement under paragraph (1), which shall include— prior successful experience in providing or engaging in training and technical assistance programming or applied research activities involving eligible entities, school food service administrators, or school food service directors; prior successful experience in developing relevant educational training tools or course materials or curricula on topics addressing child and school nutrition or the updated nutrition standards under section 4(b)(3); and the ability to deliver effective and cost-efficient training and technical assistance programming to school food service personnel— at training sites that are located within a proximate geographic distance to schools, central kitchens, or other worksites; or through an online training and assistance program on topics that do not require in-person attendance. Of the amounts made available under subsection
(h)to carry out this section, not more than 10 percent may be used to carry out this subsection. Not later than 180 days after the conclusion of the grant period described in subsection (c)(2), each school food authority that receives a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary a report that includes, with respect to such school food authority, the change at the end of the grant period, as compared with the school year immediately preceding the beginning of the grant period, in— the percentage of the 20 most expensive procurement items that contain whole ingredients, raw ingredients, or both; the percentage of procured food items that are locally procured; the percentage of menu items prepared with scratch cooking in a 4-week menu cycle; the percentage of food packaging that is single-serve packaging; the percentage of students who participate in the school lunch program under this Act; and the culinary, fiscal, procurement, and management operations. There are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 to carry out this section for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. . The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act is amended by inserting after section 26 ( 42 U.S.C. 1769g ) the following: Beginning fiscal year 2024, the Secretary shall award grants to State agencies to carry out the activities described in paragraph (2). A State agency receiving a grant under this subsection shall use such grant funds to award subgrants, on a competitive basis, to school food authorities. A school food authority seeking a subgrant under this paragraph shall submit to the State agency an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the State agency may require. In awarding a subgrant under this subsection, the State agency shall give priority to a school food authority that serves, as determined by the State agency, schools with substantial or disproportionate— need for infrastructure improvement; or durable equipment need or impairment. A school food authority receiving a subgrant under this paragraph shall use such subgrant funds to— purchase equipment, including software and technology systems, needed to serve healthy meals, improve food safety, promote scratch cooking, facilitate the use of salad bars; and support the establishment, maintenance, and expansion of the school lunch program under this Act and the school breakfast program established by section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 ( 42 U.S.C. 1773 ) at such schools. There are authorized to be appropriated $35,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028 to carry out this subsection. The Secretary may use not more than 5 percent of the amounts made available to carry out this subsection for each fiscal year to provide technical assistance to applicants and prospective applicants in preparing applications. .
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- 42 USC 1769b–1
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Sec. 205
Kitchen improvement and personnel training
Cite42 USC 1769b–1
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