I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9980 
To amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to 
establish an Office of Kosher and Halal Foods, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 11, 2024 
Ms. MENG introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization 
Act of 1994 to establish an Office of Kosher and Halal 
Foods, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) There are approximately 7.5 million Jewish 
Americans and 3.45 million Muslim Americans. 
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(2) Thirty-five percent of Jewish Americans 
and 83 percent of Muslim Americans follow reli-
giously required dietary restrictions. 
(3) Meaningful percentages of Jewish and Mus-
lim American communities are food insecure and 
could benefit from Department of Agriculture emer-
gency food programs such as the Emergency Food 
Assistance Program (commonly known and referred 
to in this section as ‘‘TEFAP’’). 
(4) Studies have shown that people in the 
United States that follow religiously required diets 
will forgo food even if hungry rather than eat food 
that is forbidden to them. 
(5) Kosher and halal food options in these pro-
grams are therefore essential for individuals adher-
ing to religiously required dietary restrictions. 
(6) Estimates suggest that 50 percent of the 
food on grocery store shelves in the United States 
has at least one kosher certification. 
(7) Despite the fact that kosher and halal prod-
ucts are readily available in the commercial market-
place, while the Department of Agriculture has ex-
panded kosher and halal options available through 
TEFAP, Department of Agriculture feeding pro-
grams currently do not provide sufficient options to 
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fully meet the needs of people in the United States 
with religiously required dietary restrictions. For ex-
ample, TEFAP currently only requires 8 certified 
kosher products and 1 halal certified product. 
(8) Congress has in the past, recognized the 
need to increase access to emergency kosher and 
halal food in the Nation’s food programs. 
(9) Through TEFAP, Congress previously 
sought to expand access to kosher and halal food 
through Department of Agriculture programs by 
mandating that the Secretary ‘‘shall finalize and im-
plement a plan to increase the purchase of Kosher 
and Halal food’’. 
(10) Nevertheless, the lack of current kosher 
and halal food options prevent those with religiously 
required diets from fully participating in the Na-
tion’s food programs and are fundamentally unfair 
and inequitable. 
(11) As part of the United States National 
Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, the Department 
of Agriculture is committed to work ‘‘to ensure equal 
access to all USDA feeding programs for USDA 
customers with religious dietary needs. This will in-
clude increasing commercially available kosher and 
halal foods that are priorities for Jewish and Muslim 
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program participants; expanding the number of ko-
sher or halal certified foods in USDA’s food procure-
ment; training schools on how to meet students’ reli-
gious dietary needs for the National School Lunch 
and School Breakfast programs; and expanding out-
reach and technical assistance for kosher and halal 
meat processors.’’. 
SEC. 2. OFFICE OF KOSHER AND HALAL FOODS. 
The Federal Crop Insurance Reform and Department 
of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6901 
note et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 310. OFFICE OF KOSHER AND HALAL FOODS. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 6 months 
after the date of the enactment of this section, the Sec-
retary shall establish in the Department an Office of Ko-
sher and Halal Foods (referred to in this section as the 
‘Office’). 
‘‘(b) DIRECTOR.—The Secretary shall appoint a Di-
rector of the Office who shall— 
‘‘(1) be an individual with expertise in feeding 
programs carried out by the Secretary, national sup-
ply logistics, and religiously required diets; and 
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301 of the National Nutrition Monitoring and Re-
lated Research Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5341); 
‘‘(5) advising the Secretary on the needs of stu-
dents with religiously required dietary restrictions in 
the covered nutrition programs; 
‘‘(6) advocating for, and supporting funding ini-
tiatives for, increased access to kosher and halal 
food options in feeding programs administered by 
the Secretary; 
‘‘(7) providing educational resources to pro-
ducers, food banks, schools, food pantries, and other 
emergency food providers who contract with the Sec-
retary to distribute food on kosher and halal require-
ments to assist such producers, food banks, schools, 
food pantries, and other emergency food providers in 
ensuring equal access to their programs for individ-
uals who present with religious required diets; 
‘‘(8) conducting research and collecting data, in 
partnership with the Economic Research Service, on 
kosher and halal food in the United States and food 
insecurity in the Jewish and Muslim American com-
munities; and 
‘‘(9) administering any pilot, grant, or other 
programs administered by the Department that are 
designed to increase access to kosher and halal food 
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under the emergency food assistance program estab-
lished under the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 
1983 (7 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.). 
‘‘(e) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this section, and annu-
ally thereafter, the Office shall submit to Congress a re-
port on the activities to be carried out by the Office and 
any relevant data relating to such activities and goals for 
the Office for the following year. 
‘‘(f) COVERED NUTRITION PROGRAM DEFINED.—In 
this section, the term ‘covered nutrition program’ means— 
‘‘(1) the school lunch program established 
under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.); 
‘‘(2) the school breakfast program established 
under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 
(42 U.S.C. 1773); and 
‘‘(3) the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Pro-
gram established under section 18(g) of the Richard 
B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 
1769(g)). 
‘‘(g) FUNDING.— 
‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of 
the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary 
shall use to carry out this section $1,600,000 for 
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each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, to remain 
available until expended. 
‘‘(2) DISCRETIONARY FUNDING.—There are au-
thorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$1,600,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 
2029, to remain available until expended.’’. 
Æ 
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