WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), and Julia Brownley (CA-26) introduced the Scratch Cooked Meals for Kids Act, to expand the practice of scratch cooking in schools.

Scratch cooking is the practice of school districts cooking their own meals and incorporating whole, fresh ingredients, rather than pre-assembled or processed meals. This approach to preparing school meals has had early success in improving student health and wellness, academic performance, sustainability, and school food workforce development. Procuring fresh ingredients from local farms has also proven to create economic activity in communities around participating schools.

"Ensuring that our students have access to nutritious meals is integral for a child's health, development, and academic success," said Congressman Fitzpatrick. "Our bipartisan legislation will assist schools with building food programs that utilize scratch cooking practices to incorporate healthy, fresh, and minimally processed ingredients in school-cooked meals."

“Hungry kids do not learn – children need nutritious meals to thrive in school. The Scratch Meals for Kids Act will incorporate a comprehensive approach to making sure students are getting fresh, nutritious foods to fuel them throughout the day,” said Congresswoman Hayes. “Expanding the practice of scratch cooking not only sets kids up for success, but it also expands opportunities for local farmers and promotes workforce development. Furthermore, this bipartisan effort will instill healthy, environmentally conscious habits in students at an early age, which they can carry well into adulthood. I thank my colleagues, Congresswoman Brownley and Congressman Fitzpatrick, for their commitment to child nutrition and bringing fresh meals to schools.”

"School districts have limited funds to prepare meals, which often restricts school children’s access to healthy food options. Scratch cooking makes it possible for school food programs to serve more nutritious, sustainable, climate-friendly meals and puts the power of more hearty alternatives in the hands of local schools,” said Congresswoman Brownley. “I applaud Congresswoman Hayes for her leadership in introducing the Scratch Cooked Meals for Kids Act to support efforts to implement scratch cooking in school meal programs across the country that will improve the health and well-being of students while reducing the overall costs and climate impacts of school food operations."

The Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act will establish a grant program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand the practice of scratch cooking in schools. Specifically, it would:

• Allocate $100 million over 5 years for grants to schools interested in transitioning to scratch cooking. Grants would total $200k to selected recipients over 2 years. These funds can be used for:
  • Professional development related to scratch cooking;
  • Purchasing cafeteria equipment for scratch cooking;
  • Providing employee compensation related to scratch cooking; or
  • Providing necessary technical assistance, pupil engagement, and education related to scratch cooking.
  • Prioritize grants to school districts with a high percentage of students receiving free and reduced-price lunch under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and School Food Authority (SFAs) with collective bargaining agreements or Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).  
  • Create a Technical Assistance (TA) Center at USDA that would work with non-profits to provide assistance and guidance to grant recipients.

The bill has been endorsed by: Scratch Works, Chef Ann Foundation, National Education Association, School Nutrition Association, Farm to School Coalition, National Farm to School Network, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, FoodCorps, LunchAssist, and Whole Kids Foundation.

"This bill is monumental in the progression of school food reform, we are grateful to Congresswoman Hayes, Congressman Fitzpatrick and Congresswoman Brownley for their commitment to childhood nutrition and supporting scratch cooking in schools," said Mara Fleishman, founding member of ScratchWorks and CEO of the Chef Ann Foundation.

"School nutrition professionals are working hard to offer their students more scratch-prepared menu options with school meals, but too many schools are hampered by equipment or staffing limitations," said Beth Wallace, MBA, SNS, President of the School Nutrition Association. "The Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act offers critical grants to help school nutrition teams overcome obstacles like aging equipment and a lack of funds for culinary training."

“The Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act represents the best in class for nourishing meals at school,” said Marc Egan, Director of Government Relations for the National Education Association. “This bill provides school food service professionals with the skills, compensation, and equipment to prepare nutritious meals that are so important to making sure all students--no matter what they look like, where they come from or where they live--are healthy and ready to learn.”

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