An Act To Support School Nutrition
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1285
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: JOHNSON, HICKMAN, BREEN, LANGLEY, MILLETT, KORNFIELD
Amends: 20-A MRSA §6602

Legislative Document 
No. 1285 
S.P. 460 
In Senate, April 9, 2015 
An Act To Support School Nutrition 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator JOHNSON of Lincoln. 
Cosponsored by Representative HICKMAN of Winthrop and 
Senators: BREEN of Cumberland, LANGLEY of Hancock, MILLETT of Cumberland, 
Representative: KORNFIELD of Bangor. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §6602, sub-§12, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 447, §1, is 
amended to read: 
12.  Local Produce Fund.  The Local Produce Fund is established within the 
Department of Education department.  The fund is authorized to receive revenue from 
public and private sources.  The fund must be held separate and apart from all other 
money, funds and accounts.  Any balance remaining in the fund at the end of the fiscal 
year must be carried forward to the next fiscal year.  The fund must be used to match $1 
for every $3 a school administrative unit pays for produce or minimally processed foods 
purchased directly from a farmer or, farmers' cooperative or local food hub in the State, to 
a maximum state contribution of $1,000 or $2,000 if funding is received and the school 
administrative unit sends a food service employee to local foods training administered by 
the department under subsection 13.  At the end of the fiscal year, the school 
administrative unit may provide the department with receipts documenting purchases 
pursuant to this subsection during that year.  For purposes of this subsection, "minimally 
processed" means only the washing, cleaning, trimming, drying, sorting and packaging of 
food items or a combination of those activities.  Reimbursement or partial reimbursement 
to school administrative units may only be made up to the amount available in the fund.  
Failure to reimburse does not constitute an obligation on behalf of the State to a school 
administrative unit.  The department shall apply for federal grant funding to provide state 
contributions in excess of $1,000 pursuant to this subsection if applicable grant funding is 
available.  The department may accept grant funding from hospitals and other sources to 
provide state contributions in excess of $1,000 pursuant to this subsection. 
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §6602, sub-§§13 to 15 are enacted to read: 
13.  Local foods training.  The department shall administer a program to encourage 
and expand the use of local foods in school food service programs. As used in this 
subsection, unless the context otherwise indicates, "local food" means food produced or 
harvested by a Maine food producer as defined by Title 7, section 212, subsection 2.  The 
program must: 
A.  Provide competitive grants for a training program to be conducted in up to 6 
regions to provide training throughout the State without cost for local school food 
service programs to encourage and expand the use of local foods in school food 
service programs.  The training program must emphasize practical training for food 
preparers, including creative and effective cooking skills using local fresh foods and 
local food procurement skills.  The training program must also inform participants 
about practical supply chain solutions, including local food hubs and cooperatives 
within and across each region of the State; 
B.  Foster collaboration between school food service programs throughout the State; 
C.  Facilitate and encourage the use of local food hubs; and 
D.  Provide guidance to schools in the use of local food products and the nutritional 
attributes of local foods and provide strategies for encouraging maximum knowledge 
and acceptance of the nutritional value of locally produced food by students and 
communities. 
The department shall apply for federal grant funding to implement this subsection.  The 
department may implement this subsection only if the department receives funding 
covering the costs of the program under this subsection. 
14.  Food service program personnel; position description.  The department shall 
develop and post a position description for school food service program personnel on its 
publicly accessible website.  The position description must meet the federal guidelines 
established under the Nutrition Education and Training Program and Team Nutrition 
initiative of the National School Lunch Program under 7 Code of Federal Regulations, 
Part 210. 
15.  Food service recognition.  The department shall provide for the development of 
an annual competitive skill-oriented school food service recognition based on criteria 
developed by the department emphasizing creative and effective use of local food 
products to attract students to eat healthier meals and snacks and promoting community 
interest in good nutrition and other factors determined by the department. 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires the Department of Education to develop and support local food 
training programs for public school food service personnel and facilitate the use of local 
food hubs to expand the use of local foods in schools.  It increases the limit on the 
amount that the State matches for the acquisition of local food by a school administrative 
unit if the unit sends a food service employee for training in the acquisition and use of 
local foods.  It directs the department to develop and post a position description for 
school food service program personnel on its publicly accessible website and to develop 
an annual competitive skill-oriented school food service recognition emphasizing creative 
and effective use of local foods.  It directs the Department of Education to apply for 
federal grant funding for the implementation of the local foods training program and the 
increased state contribution for the Local Produce Fund and it makes implementation 
contingent on receipt of funding.  It also allows the department to accept grant funding 
from hospitals and other sources.