By Olivia Wynkoop. Bay City News.
State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, is calling for lower sugar levels in school meals, as well as reduced salt and fat levels, along with more whole grains in California, K-12 in a new bill of the Senate presented on Wednesday.
If passed, Senate Bill 348 would require schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to follow the national school nutrition standards set by the Biden Administration on February 3.
California schools will also need to seek federal funding for child nutrition programs to ensure students can access free school meals over the summer.
Skinner previously drafted legislation in 2021 that allowed California public school students access to two free school lunches a day.
The state official hopes that setting stricter nutritional standards for these lunches, which make up more than half the calories some students consume in a day, could mitigate the risk of children developing diabetes, the most common chronic disease among The students.
"Research shows that providing nutritious meals to students will not only improve their health, but also lead to better academic outcomes in the classroom," Skinner added. "With our abundance of freshly grown, delicious, nutritious food, 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-age 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 our state's future generations," said Lisa Murdock, director of advocacy for the American Diabetes Association.
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