Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- S. 4599
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Agriculture and Food
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-20: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-02T19:29:10Z
AI-Generated Summary
Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act of 2026
Purpose
This legislation amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to create a pilot program that provides competitive grants to school food authorities. The goal is to encourage the use of scratch cooking—defined as preparing meals with unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients—in school meal programs.
Key Provisions
- Establishment and Duration: The Secretary of Agriculture must set up the pilot program within 180 days of enactment. Grants last for 2 school years.
- Application and Priority: School food authorities apply for grants, with highest priority given to those serving the largest share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, that are self-operated (or plan to become so), and that have or plan to negotiate collective bargaining agreements for employees.
- Eligible Uses: Funds may support professional development and training, cafeteria equipment purchases or infrastructure changes, employee compensation for extra preparation time, technical assistance and student education (such as taste tests), software for procurement, and other activities to meet or exceed nutrition standards.
- Technical Assistance: The Secretary must partner with nonprofit organizations to create a resource center. Grantees must collaborate on a needs assessment and strategic plan.
- Reporting: Grantees must submit reports within 180 days after the grant ends, comparing pre-grant and post-grant percentages of whole or raw ingredients and scratch-cooked menu items.
- Funding: Authorizes $20,000,000 annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2031, with up to 15% for the technical assistance center and 5% for other administrative costs.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
The bill inserts a new subsection (a) into Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769), adding the scratch cooking pilot program before the existing subsection (b). This introduces a time-limited grant initiative focused on meal preparation methods, without altering other core provisions of the Act.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: The U.S. Department of Agriculture would administer the program, manage grants, and oversee the technical assistance center, increasing administrative workload.
- Citizens and Schools: Participating school districts could gain resources for equipment, training, and staffing, potentially leading to more from-scratch meal options for students. Schools with high free or reduced-price meal participation may benefit most.
- International Relations: No direct effects identified.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- School food authorities and their staff.
- Students, particularly those eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.
- Food service employees and their collective bargaining representatives.
- Nonprofit organizations selected for technical assistance.
- The Secretary of Agriculture and related federal agencies.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
The bill creates a voluntary federal grant program with no apparent constitutional conflicts, as it operates within existing authority under the National School Lunch Act. It emphasizes self-operation of meal programs and labor agreements, which may influence local school operations and workforce practices.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-20: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 2026-05-20: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act of 2026 — issued 2026-05-20 — PDF (7 pages)