4.12.17 State Senator Nancy Skinner (Berkeley) introduced SB 782: California-Grown Fresh School Meals. CFPA is proud to be co-sponsoring SB 782 with our partners at NextGen California. SB 782 would establish a state grant fund to increase the amount of freshly prepared school meals made with California-grown foods.
SB 782 (Skinner) will be heard in Senate Agriculture on April 18, and Senate Education on April 26. Please show your support for SB 782 by sending a letter in TODAY! doc
Although more than 2 million California children qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, some choose to not take part if the food doesn’t appear fresh or appealing. Many school districts are constrained in how much they can do to improve the quality of school food within the existing reimbursement funding. Despite efforts to provide nutritious school meals through federal, state, and local farm-to-school programs, school districts often need additional support to serve freshly prepared school meals.
Research tells us that healthy school meals can be an effective tool to help children reach their full academic potential. Healthy and well-nourished children are more likely to attend class, fully engage in learning, and perform well in school. School meals also help mitigate the harmful effects of poverty on students’ physical health, emotional wellbeing, and overall development. Many more California children could access the health and academic benefits of school meals if more school districts were supported by the resources and funding necessary to procure and serve fresh and healthy food.
SB 782 would establish the California Grown Fresh School Meals Grant Program, to be administered by the Department of Food and Agriculture to incentivize school districts to use more fresh, California-grown ingredients. SB 782 is not only an investment in our students, but also in our agriculture industry. According to a California State University, Fresno, Center for Agricultural Business study, every one dollar spent in the agriculture sector adds two dollars and fifty-six cents ($2.56) to the state economy.
To learn more, visit CFPA’s SB 782 page.
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Questions: Contact Melissa Cannon at 510.433.1122 ext 102, or melissa@cfpa.net
