I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7344 

To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to expand 

the use of salad bars in schools. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 13, 2024 

Ms. WILSON of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 

Act to expand the use of salad bars in schools. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Salad Bars in Schools 

5 Expansion Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) In the United States, one-third of all school9 aged children are overweight or obese and very few 


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1 eat the daily amount of fruits and vegetables rec2 ommended by national health authorities. 

3 (2) On average, more than 30 million children 

4 participate in the National School Lunch Program 

5 daily, with more than 70 percent qualifying for free 

6 or reduced-price meals based on family household in7 come. 

8 (3) Improving the healthfulness of school meals, 

9 including serving more fruits and vegetables, will im10 prove children’s eating habits and their health. The 

11 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that 

12 children ‘‘make half their plate fruits and vegeta13 bles’’ at each meal. 

14 (4) Research indicates that school salad bars 

15 are an effective strategy to increase children’s con16 sumption of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. 

17 (5) Salad bars are one of the easiest ways for 

18 school food authorities to meet the new school lunch 

19 nutrition standards that require serving a fruit and 

20 a vegetable every day, a colorful variety of vegetables 

21 every week, and that students select at least one-half 

22 cup of a fruit or a vegetable at lunch. 

23 (6) Salad bars are effective in elementary, mid24 dle, and high school, they empower students to try 

25 new fruits and vegetables and are a tangible example 


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1 of a school’s commitment to wellness and healthier 

2 school meals. 

3 SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF SALAD BARS. 

4 Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School 

5 Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769) is amended by adding at the 

6 end the following: 

7 ‘‘(l) EXPANSION OF SALAD BARS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

9 PLAN.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the 

10 enactment of the Salad Bars in Schools Expansion 

11 Act, the Secretary shall establish and implement a 

12 plan to promote the use of salad bars in schools par13 ticipating in the school lunch program established 

14 under this Act. 

15 ‘‘(2) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

16 In carrying out the plan described in paragraph (1), 

17 the Secretary shall provide training and technical as18 sistance to eligible entities to assist the entities in 

19 establishing salad bars in schools. Such training and 

20 technical assistance may include— 

21 ‘‘(A) webinars; 

22 ‘‘(B) training workshops; 

23 ‘‘(C) implementation resources; 

24 ‘‘(D) nutrition education; and 


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1 ‘‘(E) strategies for parent engagement and 

2 to encourage collaboration with allied organiza3 tions and partners. 

4 ‘‘(3) GRANT PROGRAM.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the 

6 plan described in paragraph (1), the Secretary 

7 shall establish a grant program under which the 

8 Secretary shall provide grants, on a competitive 

9 basis, to eligible entities selected under sub10 paragraph (C). 

11 ‘‘(B) USE OF FUNDS.—Each eligible entity 

12 receiving a grant under this subsection shall use 

13 the grant funds to award schools a one-time 

14 payment equal to the anticipated cost of install15 ing a salad bar, including the purchase of any 

16 durable equipment required for a salad bar. 

17 ‘‘(C) APPLICATION.— 

18 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant 

19 under this subsection, an eligible entity 

20 shall submit to the Secretary an applica21 tion at such time, in such manner, and 

22 containing such information as the Sec23 retary may require. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) PRIORITY.—In selecting grant 

2 recipients, the Secretary may give priority 

3 to eligible entities that— 

4 ‘‘(I) serve schools in which not 

5 less than 50 percent of the students 

6 are eligible for free or reduced price 

7 lunches; 

8 ‘‘(II) serve schools in food 

9 deserts; or 

10 ‘‘(III) provide nutrition education 

11 to students. 

12 ‘‘(D) TERMINATION.—The grant program 

13 shall terminate 5 years after the date of the en14 actment of the Salad Bars in Schools Expan15 sion Act. 

16 ‘‘(E) EVALUATION.—Each grantee shall 

17 submit to the Secretary an evaluation of the 

18 grant program at such time, in such manner, 

19 and containing such information as the Sec20 retary may require. 

21 ‘‘(4) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

22 date of the enactment of the Salad Bars in Schools 

23 Expansion Act, the Secretary shall submit a report 

24 to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

25 and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 


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1 Representatives, and the Committee on Agriculture, 

2 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, which in3 cludes— 

4 ‘‘(A) recommendations, if any, for pro5 moting and establishing more salad bars in 

6 schools; 

7 ‘‘(B) the number of schools nationwide 

8 that have a salad bar program in their school; 

9 ‘‘(C) the number of schools that have new 

10 salad bars as a result of the plan described in 

11 paragraph (1); and 

12 ‘‘(D) the evaluations submitted by grantees 

13 under paragraph (3)(E). 

14 ‘‘(5) REVISION OF GUIDANCE ON SALAD BARS

15 IN THE NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM.—Not 

16 later than 90 days after submitting the report under 

17 paragraph (4), the Secretary shall revise the March 

18 27, 2013, policy memorandum SP 31–2013, ‘Salad 

19 Bars in the National School Lunch Program’, in 

20 light of any recommendations contained in the re21 port. 

22 ‘‘(6) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

23 ‘‘(A) DURABLE EQUIPMENT.—The term 

24 ‘durable equipment’ means durable food prepaVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Feb 24, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7344.IH H7344

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1 ration, handling, cooking, serving, and storage 

2 equipment greater than $500 in value. 

3 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi4 ble entity’ means— 

5 ‘‘(i) a school; or 

6 ‘‘(ii) a school food authority. 

7 ‘‘(C) FOOD DESERT.—The term ‘food 

8 desert’ means a census tract with a substantial 

9 share of residents who live in low-income areas 

10 that have low levels of access to a grocery store 

11 or a healthy, affordable food retail outlet.’’. 

12 SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON NEW APPROPRIATIONS. 

13 No additional funds are authorized to be appro14 priated to carry out this Act and the amendments made 

15 by this Act, and this Act and such amendments shall be 

16 carried out using amounts otherwise made available for 

17 such purposes. 

Æ 


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