1.This Act may be cited as the
Safe Food for Schools Act of
2009
.
2.Ensuring safety
of school mealsThe Richard B.
Russell National School Lunch Act is amended by inserting after section 22 (42
U.S.C. 1769c) the following:
23.Ensuring safety
of school meals
(a)Food and
Nutrition ServiceNot later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of the Safe Food for Schools Act of
2009, the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Food
and Nutrition Service, shall—
(1)in consultation
with the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service and the
Administrator of the Farm Service Agency, develop guidelines to determine the
circumstances in which it is appropriate for the Secretary to institute an
administrative hold on suspect commodities and products being used in school
meal programs under this Act and the Child
Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.);
(2)work with States
to explore ways for the States to increase the timeliness of notification of
food recalls to schools and school food authorities;
(3)improve the
timeliness and completeness of direct communication between the Food and
Nutrition Service and schools about holds and recalls, such as through the
commodity alert system of the Food and Nutrition Service;
(4)establish a
timeframe in which the Food and Nutrition Service shall improve the commodity
hold and recall procedures of the Department of Agriculture to address the role
of processors and determine the involvement of distributors with processed
products, which may contain recalled ingredients, to facilitate the provision
of more timely and complete information to schools;
(5)revise the
procedures of the Food and Nutrition Service to provide States with more
specific instructions for schools and school food authorities about how to
dispose of recalled commodities and products and obtain timely reimbursement;
and
(6)institute a
systematic quality check procedure to ensure that holds by the Food and
Nutrition Service on commodities and products used by schools are carried out
effectively.
(b)Food Safety and
Inspection ServiceNot later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of the Safe Food for Schools Act of
2009, the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Food
Safety and Inspection Service, shall revise the procedures of the Food Safety
and Inspection Service to ensure that schools are included in effectiveness
checks.
.