BILL NUMBER: S7686

SPONSOR: GAUGHRAN
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring school meal
nutritional facts and ingredient lists be provided

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To ensure that parents and children are aware of the nutritional facts
and ingredients that are in school meals.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section one amends the education law by adding a new section 918-a,
which directs school districts to provide nutritional facts for all
school meals and an itemized list of the ingredients used in each
meal.The information will be shared on the district website or on the
meal schedule.

              

Section two provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Good nutrition is integral to living a healthy life. Eating healthy can
help you reach and maintain a healthy weight and reduces ones chances of
developing chronic disease like diabetes, heart disease and even cancer.
Learning good nutritional habits can help children establish a founda-
tion for healthy eating and nutritional knowledge that they can apply
throughout their lifetime.

The USDA regulates the nutritional value of school meals, but does not
require the disclosure of nutritional value or ingredients to parents.
This non-disclosure presents several problems.  Parents need to be aware
of the nutritional value of the foods that their children are eating
during the school day so that they may properly plan home meals. By
knowing which components of a child's daily nutritional needs have been
met during the school day, a parent can ensure that the child receives
the unmet nutritional needs at home.

Also, it is important for parents to know the specific ingredients that
make up the food that their children are eating. This is important for
both the identification and management of food allergies. But even for
students who do not have food allergy concerns, parents have the right
to be informed about the ingredients that comprise the meals being
offered at school. This will help parents in determining whether their
child should buy a school lunch on any given day.

This piece of legislation aims to give students and parents a comprehen-
sive nutritional facts and ingredients list without overburdening the
school district. Schools will be permitted to post the information about
nutritional values and ingredients in the meals they are offering on the
district website, or to include this information with the meal plan that
is sent home with their students.  The information required pursuant to
this section should be readily available from the vendors that provide
the food services to the district. This bill also makes provision for
substitutions of foods and ingredients that may be necessary by allowing
the school to update this information as needed.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the state.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have
become a law.