Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act
Bill: H.R.6608 | Sponsor: Rep. Hayes, Jahana (D-CT)
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act
This bill establishes a pilot program to award competitive grants to school food authorities and local educational agencies for activities that promote the use of ingredients that are unprocessed or minimally processed (i.e., scratch cooking) in school meals.

To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish 
   a pilot program promoting scratch cooking in school meal programs.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Scratch Cooked Meals for Students 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR GRANTS PROMOTING SCRATCH COOKING IN SCHOOL 
              MEAL PROGRAMS.

    Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 
U.S.C. 1769) is amended by inserting before subsection (b) the 
following new subsection:
    ``(a) Scratch Cooking Pilot Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--
                    ``(A) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after 
                the date of the enactment of this subsection, the 
                Secretary shall establish a pilot program to award 
                competitive grants to school food authorities and local 
                educational agencies to promote scratch cooking.
                    ``(B) Scratch cooking defined.--In this subsection, 
                the term `scratch cooking' means the preparation of 
                food using ingredients that are unprocessed or 
                minimally processed.
            ``(2) Grant amounts and duration.--A grant awarded under 
        this subsection shall be made--
                    ``(A) for a period of 2 school years; and
                    ``(B) in 1 installment in the first school year and 
                1 installment in the second school year, with each such 
                installment equal to or less than $100,000.
            ``(3) Eligible uses.--A grant awarded under this subsection 
        shall be used by a school food authority or local educational 
        agency to promote scratch cooking, which may include--
                    ``(A) promoting professional development and 
                training related to preparing, procuring, advertising, 
                serving, and creating menus of meals made with scratch 
                cooking;
                    ``(B) purchasing cafeteria equipment or making 
                infrastructure modifications necessary for scratch 
                cooking;
                    ``(C) employee compensation for additional food 
                preparation necessary for scratch cooking; and
                    ``(D) providing technical assistance, pupil 
                engagement, and education related to scratch cooking, 
                such as taste tests, recipe development, and culinary 
                education.
            ``(4) Priority.--In evaluating grant applications under 
        this subsection, the Secretary shall give the highest priority 
        to school food authorities and local educational agencies 
        that--
                    ``(A) serve the greatest proportion of students 
                eligible for free or reduced price lunch under this 
                Act;
                    ``(B) are--
                            ``(i) self-operated; or
                            ``(ii) provide an assurance to the 
                        Secretary that the school food authority or 
                        local educational agency will be self-operated 
                        on or before the date that is 1 year before the 
                        last day of the grant period; and
                    ``(C) either--
                            ``(i) have employees who are represented by 
                        a collective bargaining agreement or memorandum 
                        of understanding; or
                            ``(ii) provide an assurance to the 
                        Secretary that the school food authority or 
                        local educational agency will, with respect to 
                        the employees of such school food authority or 
                        local educational agency, negotiate a 
                        collective bargaining agreement or memorandum 
                        of understanding on or before the date that is 
                        1 year before the last day of the grant period.
            ``(5) Technical assistance.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall enter into 
                an agreement with one or more nonprofit organizations 
                to establish and carry out a technical assistance and 
                resource center to provide technical assistance with 
                respect to carrying out subparagraphs (A) through (C) 
                of paragraph (3).
                    ``(B) Collaboration requirement.--As soon as 
                practicable after receiving a grant under this 
                subsection, a school food authority or local 
                educational agency shall collaborate with the technical 
                assistance and resource center established under 
                subparagraph (A) to--
                            ``(i) conduct a needs assessment to 
                        evaluate equipment needs, equipment 
                        utilization, procurement processes, and 
                        workforce capabilities of the school food 
                        authority or local educational agency; and
                            ``(ii) based on such needs assessment, 
                        establish a strategic plan to carry out the 
                        grant under this subsection.
            ``(6) Reporting requirements.--Each school food authority 
        and local educational agency that receives a grant under this 
        subsection shall report to the Secretary at the end of the 
        grant period--
                    ``(A) the change, from the beginning of the grant 
                period, in the overall percentage of the 20 most 
                expensive procurement items with whole ingredients, raw 
                ingredients, or both;
                    ``(B) the change, from the beginning of the grant 
                period, in the overall percentage of procured food 
                items that are locally procured;
                    ``(C) the change, from the beginning of the grant 
                period, in the overall percentage of menu items in a 4-
                week menu cycle prepared with scratch cooking;
                    ``(D) the change, from the beginning of the grant 
                period, in the overall percentage of packaging that is 
                single-serve packaging;
                    ``(E) the change, from the beginning of the grant 
                period, to overall culinary, fiscal, procurement, and 
                management operations; and
                    ``(F) the change, from the beginning of the grant 
                period, in the overall percentage of students who 
                participate in the school lunch program under this Act.
            ``(7) Authorization of appropriations.--
                    ``(A) In general.--There is authorized to be 
                appropriated to carry out this subsection $20,000,000 
                for the first fiscal year beginning after the date of 
                the enactment of this subsection and for each of the 
                four subsequent fiscal years.
                    ``(B) Reservations.--Of the amounts made available 
                under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall reserve--
                            ``(i) not more than 15 percent for purposes 
                        of carrying out paragraph (5), including 
                        administrative expenses; and
                            ``(ii) not more than 5 percent for other 
                        administrative expenses of the Secretary.''.
                                 <all>