By Olivia Wynkoop. Bay City News.
State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, is calling for lower levels of sugar in school meals, as well as reduced levels of salt and fat, along with more whole grains in California K-12 in a new Senate bill introduced Wednesday.
If passed, Senate Bill 348 would require schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to follow national school nutrition standards established by the Biden Administration on Feb. 3.
California schools will also be required to seek federal funding for child nutrition programs to ensure students can access free school meals during the summer.
Skinner previously authored legislation in 2021 that allowed California public school students to have access to two free school lunches per day.
The state official hopes that setting stricter nutritional standards for these lunches, which make up more than half of the calories some students consume in a day, could mitigate the risk of children developing diabetes, which is the most common chronic disease among schoolchildren.
“Research shows that providing nutritious meals to students will not only improve their health, but will also lead to better academic outcomes in the classroom,” Skinner added. “With our abundance of nutritious, delicious, freshly grown foods, California should have the healthiest children in the country, and SB 348 will put children’s needs first.”
Under SB 348, California public schools would comply with the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation that school-aged children consume no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day.
“It’s time for California to make changes to reduce the burden of diabetes on future generations in our state,” said Lisa Murdock, director of advocacy for the American Diabetes Association.
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