[Senate Hearing 118-450]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 118-450
KEEPING KIDS LEARNING IN THE NATIONAL
SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM AND
SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
FOOD AND NUTRITION, SPECIALTY CROPS,
ORGANICS, AND RESEARCH
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE,
NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
September 18, 2024
__________
Printed for the use of the
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available on http://www.govinfo.gov/
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
57-170 PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
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COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY
DEBBIE STABENOW, Michigan, Chairwoman
SHERROD BROWN, Ohio JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota MITCH McCONNELL, Kentucky
MICHAEL F. BENNET, Colorado JOHN HOEVEN, North Dakota
KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York JONI ERNST, Iowa
TINA SMITH, Minnesota CINDY HYDE-SMITH, Mississippi
RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois ROGER MARSHALL, Kansas
CORY BOOKER, New Jersey TOMMY TUBERVILLE, Alabama
BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico MIKE BRAUN, Indiana
RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia CHARLES GRASSLEY, Iowa
PETER WELCH, Vermont JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
Eyang Garrison, Majority Staff Director
Chu-Yuan Hwang, Majority Chief Counsel
Jessica L. Williams, Chief Clerk
Fitzhugh Elder IV, Minority Staff Director
Caleb Crosswhite, Minority Chief Counsel
----------
Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and
Research
JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania Chairman
SHERROD BROWN, Ohio MIKE BRAUN, Indiana
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota MITCH McCONNELL, Kentucky
KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York JONI ERNST, Iowa
CORY BOOKER, New Jersey ROGER MARSHALL, Kansas
RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia TOMMY TUBERVILLE, Alabama
C O N T E N T S
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Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Page
Subcommittee Hearing:
Keeping Kids Learning in The National School Lunch Program and
School Breakfast Program....................................... 1
----------
STATEMENTS PRESENTED BY SENATORS
Fetterman, Hon. John, U.S. Senator from the State of Pennsylvania 1
Braun, Hon. Mike, U.S. Senator from the State of Indiana......... 2
WITNESSES
FitzSimons, Hon. Crystal, Interim Persident, Food Research &
Action Center, Washington, DC.................................. 5
Redding, Hon. Russell, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA...... 7
Taylor, Evora Nichole, Director of Food and Nutrition, Chichester
School District, Upper Chichester, PA.......................... 9
Rentzel, Kay Swartz, Executive Director, Southestern Food
Processors Association, National Peach Council, and U.S. Sweet
Potato Council, Dillsburg, PA.................................. 10
Bruening, Meg, Ph.D., Professor and Department Head, Department
of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, PA............................................ 12
----------
APPENDIX
Prepared Statements:
FitzSimons, Hon. Crystal..................................... 26
Redding, Hon. Russell........................................ 192
Taylor, Evora Nichole........................................ 200
Rentzel, Kay Swartz.......................................... 203
Bruening, Meg, Ph.D.......................................... 209
Document(s) Submitted for the Record:
Booker, Hon. Cory:
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, statement for
the Record................................................. 216
Braun, Hon. Mike:
Mrs. Rentzel follow up response, letter for the Record....... 218
International Brotherhood of Teamsters, statement for the
Record..................................................... 220
Question and Answer:
FitzSimons, Hon. Crystal:
Written response to questions from Hon. Amy Klobuchar........ 224
Redding, Hon. Russell:
Written response to questions from Hon. Joni Ernst........... 225
Taylor, Evora Nichole:
Written response to questions from Hon. Amy Klobuchar........ 227
Bruening, Meg, Ph.D.:
Written response to questions from Hon. John Fetterman....... 229
Written response to questions from Hon. Joni Ernst........... 229
KEEPING KIDS LEARNING IN THE NATIONAL
SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM AND
SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM
----------
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
U.S. Senate
Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops,
Organics, and Research
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2 p.m., in
room 562, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. John Fetterman,
Chairman of the Subcommittee, presiding.
Present: Senators Fetterman [presiding], Stabenow, Brown,
Klobuchar, Booker, Warnock, Braun, and Boozman.
STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN FETTERMAN, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE
OF PENNSYLVANIA
Senator Fetterman. I call this hearing of the U.S. Senate
Subcommittee for Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics,
and Research to order.
We are here to talk about an important issue, and it is an
issue that should not even exist--free school lunch. Free
school lunch. It should be just simple. School lunch should
always be free, and definitely free of judgment. Honestly, it
should not even be a conversation. It would be like asking the
kids to pay for the school bus every morning, or to pay for
their own textbooks at school. Of course, that is absurd. Lunch
is every critical, just like how they get there and the kinds
of books that they use.
Obviously, a full stomach is critical for children to
learn. This tray of food right here, that we have brought here,
this is the kind of food that could be served in the USDA's
National School Lunch Program. Now, of course, this is a
chicken salad, an apple, and other things, and I know some
people that thought this is controversial, but even chocolate
milk, something that a lot of kids, including my own kids, they
love that. This is just a fine example of what it could be.
Behind me and next to me, our Chairwoman, are actual examples
of kinds of school lunches across my commonwealth on there, as
well.
That is not why we are here, about splitting hairs,
dollars, and cents over kids' health and education. This is a
basic and fundamental as it gets, and guaranteeing a meal to
students should be part of the promise that we have for our
children.
Universal school meals should mean fewer hungry kids, and
research shows that it could bring down the cost for schools.
Right now there is already a lot of solutions already out
there. The Universal School Meal Program Act is one of them,
and it is the bill that could provide free meals to all
students. I support bills that expand the Community Eligibility
Provision (CEP), which allows some States to achieve universal
school meals and reduce administrative burden.
I also introduced a bill that cancels all meal debt
nationwide. It is astonishing that a child could have a bill
and an outstanding debt for simply just eating during their
school day. School lunch debt, I think about that. It is a
phrase, again, that just should not exist.
We are working about young kids who are in debt because
they could not afford lunch and their debt being humiliated or
used as if school is already difficult enough for bullying and
other harassing, to now if you are called out for not being
able to afford your own lunch. In some cases, judges have
threatened to send kids with lunch debt back to foster care,
legitimately, in my own State.
Here is the bottom line. A full stomach is essential for
making our children can learn and be successful. Congress needs
to do more to protect and expand critical programs to ensure
that kids are getting fed. Thank you for all of my witnesses
today that are going to speak about all that.
Right now I turn to my friend, Ranking Member Braun, next
for his remarks.
STATEMENT OF HON. MIKE BRAUN, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF
INDIANA
Senator Braun. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to
the witnesses for joining us today for our hearing on national
school meal programs. These programs are some of the country's
largest food assistance programs. In my home State, a little
over one million Hoosiers are enrolled in a school that offers
USDA School Nutrition Programs. These schools serve over 50
million breakfasts and 118 million lunches to students every
year in Indiana.
Providing our youth with accessible and healthy food is
critical to the health of our Nation. Reforms to school meal
programs should focus on giving schools the ability to provide
healthy, locally produced meals as much as possible.
We are going to hear from witnesses today that will speak
to the importance of flexibility and the importance of using
domestic foods in these programs. We will hear from the
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, a
nonpartisan, nonprofit association that represents the elected
and appointed agricultural officials of all 50 States and 4
territories, to provide the State perspective to our school
meal program. It will be interesting to hear that.
We will also hear from an agriculture and food processing
industry expert who has worked to ensure that we were sourcing
the healthiest and safest foods for Americans.
It is important that we prioritize the flexibility of these
programs for States and local administrations. They are the
ones who know best what is going to work for students, the
farmers that produce it, and in their communities.
Last year I introduced the American Food for American
Schools Act with Senator Brown, to better prioritize and
support the use of American food in school meal programs. The
bill ensure that American-made food is being served in all
school meal programs while still providing school food
authorities flexibility if domestic products are not available.
Parents are the primary stakeholder in their children's
education, and that should include what they consume at school.
That is why this bill also requires schools to notify parents
when American food is not being used.
The bill was first introduced in the House by California
Congressman Garamendi and LaMalfa, and I applaud both of them
for their leadership and partnership in prioritizing this here
in our country. American kids should be eating American-grown
food in our schools. It is safer, healthier, and supports our
own economy.
The legislation is only part of this hearing, though. It is
important that we listen to the people who interact with these
programs daily to ensure school meal programs are working in
the best interest of students.
To our witnesses, thank you again for joining us today. You
represent voices from State, government, industry associations,
advocacy, nutritionists, and academia that we need to hear from
to keep students fed. I look forward to hearing your
testimoneys.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit to the record, for
unanimous consent, a letter from Peter Finn, the Vice President
of the Western Region of the Teamsters Food Processing Division
and his support for the American Food for the American Schools
Act.
[The letter can be found on pages 220 in the Appendix.]
Senator Fetterman. Thank you, Senator Braun. Now we turn to
our Chairwoman.
Chairwoman Stabenow. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair, for
chairing this Subcommittee, Senator Fetterman, and for your
advocacy. I love what you were saying about the fact that food
at school should be no different than folding in the cost of
riding the bus or some other service for children at school. I
mean, this is an essential part of a quality school day, and
thank you so much. Senator Braun, as well, for all of your
advocacy on connecting health with food, as well. I appreciate
both of you very much.
I wanted to be here for a few minutes today to thank all of
you because this is important. The USDA recently released, as
you know, a report entitled ``Household Food Security in the
United States, 2023.'' Unfortunately it should have been
titled, ``Food Insecurity,'' not ``Food Security,'' because it
found that food insecurity increased for the second year in a
row, and 47.4 million people live in food insecurity in America
as of 2023. The greatest country in the world, 47.4 million
people.
Alarmingly, the rate of child food insecurity has also
increased--13.8 million children live in food-insecure
households, 13.8 million children in America. These are
households that were unable to provide adequate food for their
children, or in some cases not just skipping a meal but
skipping meals the whole day. This is unacceptable in America.
Food insecurity rates held steady, as we know, in 2020 and
2021, which is a direct result of Congress investing in
nutrition programs, like increasing the SNAP benefit, like
providing free meals for all children, and providing grocery
benefits over the summer. As some of that extra assistance
unfortunately has ended and food prices remain high--everyone
agrees on that, that food prices are higher, so we should care
about how people are able to access food--but these programs
need strong, continued investments.
Eight States, like my home State of Michigan, have taken
the lead on providing free breakfast and lunch to all students
in the State. It is wildly popular. This is not a partisan
issue. This is something that is wildly popular, and all
parents are very grateful that we are including this as part of
the school day.
I have heard from families about what that has meant. No
more meal debt. Eliminating the stigma of receiving free and
reduced priced meals. Saving time in the morning. Most
importantly, saving money. For many, school meals are the only
meals a child may have in a day, and they have been proven to
be the healthiest.
USDA recently put out a commonsense rule to update meal
standards, and I appreciate the Department's work to balance
the interests of schools, food companies, and families. I
commend all of our school food service directors and workers in
Michigan, as well as across the country, who are tirelessly
working for our kids to provide healthy and delicious meals.
This is not easy, especially for schools that do not have
kitchens or are short staffed or lack kitchen equipment. You
cannot make everything with a microwave oven.
I am a strong supporter of programs to educate students, as
well, and get them excited about healthy eating, from school
gardens, of which we have many in Michigan, and I know we are
growing more and more of them across the country, to taste
tests, to incorporating nutrition education into lesson plans
so that kids know that food does not just come from the grocery
store shelf.
We know that hunger does not take a vacation when school is
out, and that is why Senator Boozman and I established, with
everyone's support, the Summer EBT or SUN Bucks program, a
grocery benefit, so families can buy food over the summer.
Summer EBT helped feed 21 million children this summer, the
first year of the program.
We also provided flexible meal delivery options for rural
communities, like meal delivery, grab-n-go, and backpack
programs, so kids can access meals regardless of where they
live.
I would encourage all States to participate in these
options--there should not be any State in this country that is
not participating in this--so that kids can access healthy
meals all year round and reach their fullest potential.
As Congress works through the farm bill process, it is
critical we reaffirm our commitment to families, to our
farmers, and our rural communities. We need a farm bill that
protects critical food assistance for families while also
providing the support our farmers need to thrive. I am
determined to do everything in my power to pass a farm bill by
the end of the year that does that.
Mr. Chairman, thank you, and I appreciate being able to be
here, and I appreciate so much all your great work.
Senator Fetterman. Well, thank you for that, Chairwoman,
but also thank you for your leadership for the last two years
for the work that you have done.
Chairwoman Stabenow. Thank you.
Senator Fetterman. Thank you. Now, thankfully, we have a
great panel, five witnesses, and four of them are from
Pennsylvania.
Chairwoman Stabenow. You are not biased at all.
Senator Fetterman. We just got lucky. Senator Braun and I
will introduce our five students before each of us provide
their testimony.
The first one is Ms. Crystal FitzSimons, and she is the
Interim President of the Food Research & Action Center.
Ms. Evora Nichole Taylor is the Director of Food and
Nutrition of Chichester School District.
Finally it is Dr. Meg Bruening, Professor and Department
Head of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State.
Now I turn to Senator Braun to recognize your
introductions.
Senator Braun. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is my privilege
to introduce Hon. Secretary Russell Redding as one of our
witnesses today. Secretary Redding was unanimously confirmed by
the Pennsylvania Senate to serve as Pennsylvania's 27th
Secretary of Agriculture on May 10, 2023. Secretary Redding is
a native of Pennsylvania, where he earned his Bachelor of
Science in Agriculture Education and Master of Science in
Agriculture and Extension Education from Penn State University.
We welcome your expertise here today to the panel.
It is also my privilege to introduce Mrs. Kay Swartz
Rentzel. She serves as the Executive Director for several
agricultural and food processing industry associations, works
directly with the National Peach Council, U.S. Sweet Potato
Council, American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute,
Southeastern Food Processors Association, and the National
Clean Plant Network for Sweet Potatoes. I think you like sweet
potatoes. She is a native of Pennsylvania and earned her
Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences from
Messiah College. We welcome your expertise, as well.
I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Fetterman. Thank you. Ms. FitzSimons, I recognize
you for your five minutes.
STATEMENT OF CRYSTAL FITZSIMONS, INTERIM PERSIDENT, FOOD
RESEARCH & ACTION CENTER, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Ms. FitzSimons. Great. Thank you. Chairman Fetterman,
Ranking Member Braun, Chairwoman Stabenow, and members of the
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to provide
testimony on the school nutrition programs.
I am Crystal FitzSimons, Interim President for the Food
Research & Action Center (FRAC). We are the leading
organization working to end poverty-related hunger in the
United States by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions.
I am proud to have worked at FRAC for over 25 years, most of
that time focused on the child nutrition programs.
FRAC has worked for over 50 years to strengthen and expand
the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs,
because we know they play a critical role in reducing childhood
hunger, supporting education, and connecting students to
quality food from our agriculture community.
An extensive body of research highlights the positive
impacts school meals have on student achievement, attendance,
behavior, physical and mental health, and food security. A
recent study also found that the school nutrition programs
offer some of the healthiest meals that children eat, and the
updated nutrition standards will further improve the
nutritional quality. USDA has taken a thoughtful approach to
gradually implement the new standards.
Over the last 10 years, a growing number of high-needs
schools have been able to offer meals at no charge to all their
students through the Community Eligibility Provision. CEP was
implemented nationwide during the 2014-2015 school year.
Participation has grown year after year as schools saw the
benefits--more students eating school meals, less
administrative work, no more unpaid school meal fees, reduced
stigma, and improvements to the school environment.
Then the pandemic hit. A key component of our country's
response was allowing all schools to offer meals to all
students at no charge. This served as a pilot for a nationwide
Healthy School Meals for All policy. It was a tremendous
success.
As Senator Stabenow mentioned, several States did not want
to go back to pre-pandemic school meal operations. To date,
California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont have all passed Healthy
School Meals for All policies.
While those eight States are showing us what is possible,
there are critical steps the Subcommittee and Congress should
take to enhance the reach and impact of school meals
nationwide.
First, Congress can ensure that all children nationwide are
hunger free and ready to learn while they are at school by
allowing all schools to offer meals to all their students at no
charge. The Universal School Meals Program Act creates that
path.
Second, it is important to address barriers that keep
students from participating, particularly in the School
Breakfast Program, which serves only half of the children who
participate in school lunch. Offering breakfast at no charge to
all students, as Pennsylvania does, and implementing an
innovative service model, such as breakfast in the classroom,
has been shown to dramatically increase participation. Congress
can provide grants or additional reimbursements to support
innovative school breakfast models.
A less direct path forward is to bolster CEP, so more
schools can offer free meals to all their students. CEP
eliminates school meal applications. Instead, the percentage of
identified students is multiplied by 1.6 to determine the
Federal reimbursements that schools receive. These identified
students are categorically eligible for free school meals
because they participate in certain means-tested Federal
programs such as SNAP, or they are homeless, runaway, migrant,
in foster care, or in Head Start, and automatically certified
for free school meals outside of the school meal application
process. Increasing the multiplier to 2.5 would allow more
schools to operate CEP without fear of losing money.
Another important step is to allow a statewide CEP option.
Senators Casey and Fetterman's School Hunger Elimination Act
would do both.
Maintaining the eligibility threshold at 25 percent of
identified students through statute is another important step,
and Senator Fetterman's Nutrition Red Tape Reduction Act does
just that.
Finally, as long as children are being certified for free
or reduced price school meals, Congress should do more to
ensure that children who are categorically eligible for free
school meals are certified to receive them. For example, States
and school districts are only required to conduct direct
certification for children in SNAP households, but should be
required to automatically certify children whose households
participate in TANF as well as children who are homeless,
runaway, migrant, or in foster care or Head Start.
In addition, more Federal means-tested programs such as
Medicaid and SSI should be used for direct certification. This
would ensure that our most vulnerable children do not fall
through the cracks, reduce the burden of school meal
applications, and improve program integrity.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify. I welcome
your questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. FitzSimons can be found on
page 26 in the appendix.]
Senator Fetterman. Thank you. Now we turn to Secretary
Redding.
STATEMENT OF THE HON. RUSSELL REDDING, SECRETARY, PENNSYLVANIA
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA,
HARRISBURG, PA
Mr. Redding. Madam Chairwoman, thank you, and Mr. Chairman,
Ranking Member Braun, thank you for the opportunity to be here
today. I am honored to be both Secretary of Agriculture and
representing NASDA. Senator, as you note, certainly NASDA is a
nonpartisan, nonprofit association representing all of the
elected and appointed secretaries, directors, and commissioners
across the U.S. I am honored to be here.
We have, in Pennsylvania, a sister agency in the Department
of Education that administers the National School Lunch
Program, delivering meals to over a million students every day
and across 800 schools and childcare institutions. Our
Department collaborates across the State governments, as well,
with the private sector to ensure equitable access to
affordable food and to promote opportunities for Pennsylvania
farms and agribusinesses. I want to thank you on behalf of
NASDA for this opportunity.
You have my written testimony. I will offer a few comments
and perspective.
We believe at the intersection of agriculture and food lies
bipartisan potential. By strengthening local and regional food
systems we can enhance supply chain resiliency and support
nutrition security across the country. We appreciate the
thought and care that the USDA has put into the final rule on
child nutrition programs and the balance between providing food
that the children enjoy eating while also acknowledging the
role that the food meals must play in providing balanced
nutrition.
NASDA applauds the update to the recent USDA rule
emphasizing local sourcing as well as the Buy American
provision to boost demand for regional foods, and advocates for
its effective and tangible implementation to ensure success.
USDA's food and nutrition programs play a vital role in
stabilizing agricultural markets and creating new opportunities
for farmers, and especially small and midsized producers.
We have seen this in Pennsylvania, where we rank third
nationally in the USDA commodity purchases for programs like
National School Lunch, with over 192 million pounds of food,
valued at $276 million last year. These products were both good
nutrition and good for the economy. Top categories for us are
the proteins and certainly directly benefiting our Pennsylvania
producers, as well. U.S. agriculture offers a really diverse
range of 200 specialty crops, showcasing an abundance of
opportunities to have to integrate more domestically grown
foods in our meals.
States have a role and the ability to establish programs
that meet their individual needs. Speaking only on behalf of
Pennsylvania for a moment, our State has created a universal
free school breakfast that has resulted in a 23 percent growth
in participation in kids accessing free school breakfast. In
addition, our State launched a successful Farm-to-School Grant
Program in 2019, as a funding vehicle for school districts to
increase their local food procurement and make it easier to
source and serve products and farms in their communities. To
date, we fund 280 different projects.
Programs such as USDA's Local Food Purchase Assistant, the
LFPA, as well as the Local Foods for Schools, LFS, have been
instrumental in linking schools with regionally grown foods.
These programs not only provide market access for farmers but
also offer flexibility for States to address their regional
needs.
For example, Pennsylvania and other Mid-Atlantic States
have been facing a surplus of apples in recent years, and the
LFPA and the LFS have helped manage these surpluses, reducing
food waste, while supporting local agriculture, and we
certainly encourage USDA to continue offering and expanding
tools like these to further strengthen the connection between
schools and our food system.
In addition, Pennsylvania is administering the Resilient
Food Systems Infrastructure Grant Program, on behalf of USDA,
and we have found that that program is critical. We are over-
subscribed by probably tenfold the amount that we have. It is
27 million and significant. The key to that is the
infrastructure and the improvements that build the capacity for
local food systems, so that is important.
Last, NASDA strongly supports USDA Farm-to-School grants,
as well, and increasing local food used and improving access in
those schools. This would certainly help improve the purchasing
power of our schools and local economies and our farms, as
well.
So with that, Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity.
We look forward to the conversation today and appreciate your
support of agriculture and the food system.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Redding can be found on page
192 in the appendix.]
Senator Fetterman. Thank you. Now Ms. Taylor.
STATEMENT OF EVORA NICHOLE TAYLOR, DIRECTOR OF FOOD AND
NUTRITION, CHICHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT, UPPER CHICHESTER, PA
Ms. Taylor. Thank you. Good afternoon, Chairman Fetterman,
Ranking Member Braun, and members of the Subcommittee. I am
Evora Taylor, Director of Food and Nutrition for Chichester
School District in Pennsylvania. I am also the Public Policy
Chair for School Nutrition Association, or SNA.
Thank you for this opportunity to share my insight on the
Community Eligibility Provision and the benefits of offering
free school meals to all students.
Chichester District serves just over 3,000 students, many
from hardworking families that struggle to put food on the
table. Our food and nutrition team takes pride in supporting
student success by offering delicious, nutritious school meals.
In 2021, our district enrolled in the Federal Community
Eligibility Provision, allowing students to benefit from free
school meals without having to complete the cumbersome free and
reduced meal price application. Some families were either
ashamed or hesitant to submit this form, and as a result
children in need were going without healthy school meals.
Now, families do not have to worry about paperwork or
accruing unpaid meal debt if they cannot afford school meals.
In the three years before we implemented CEP, our meal debt
nearly doubled from about $8,000 to $15,000, and under CEP we
no longer accrue meal debt, and our district no longer has to
cover the debt using general funds. More importantly, no child
goes hungry. Let's be clear--we cannot function if we do not
eat. If a child is hungry, his upcoming math test is not going
to be on his mind.
CEP has created equity in our cafeterias and eliminated the
stigma associated with school meals. In fact, during a recent
forum in our community, one Chichester student said that the
thing she loves the most about her high school is that no
student has to pay for a meal.
Since we implemented CEP, we have not wasted countless
hours collecting, processing, and verifying application forms.
We focus on serving our students, improving our menus, and
offering more scratch-prepared entrees. Since we don't have to
collect payment, children speed through the line and have more
time to eat.
With free meal service, more Chichester students are
choosing school meals, which is great news since research shows
school meals are the healthiest meals Americans eat today. We
encourage our students to eat all the produce, whole grains,
and low-fat milk we offer. We have implemented the Fresh Fruit
and Vegetable Program to nudge picky eaters to give these
healthy foods a try. Thanks to a Pennsylvania Farm-to-School
grant, we have four terraponic gardens in our cafeterias.
Students assist in planting and harvesting, and enjoy eating
Easter egg radishes and Sakura cherry tomatoes.
To make our nutritious meals more appealing, we have
introduced scratch cooking in all of our schools last year. Our
cheddar, chicken, and broccoli casserole is one of our
students' favorites, and we also offer ethnic menu options like
Asian noodle bowls, jollof rice, and Indian tacos, to cater to
a diverse student taste.
None of these positive changes for our students come easy.
A recent SNA survey revealed virtually all school meal programs
are struggling with rising costs, and last year our program saw
a 37 percent increase in repair costs alone. I join my
colleagues nationwide in urging Congress to increase
reimbursement rates for school meals to help us manage high
costs.
We also need additional funds to boost wages, to attract
new employees and provide culinary training. I currently have
18 staff vacancies for a team of 33. We do not have an H.R.
team, a procurement specialist, or a menu planner. It is me and
my assistant managing everything, but often I am the backup
cook when staff is out sick. Minimizing paperwork through
programs like CEP is understaffed school meals programs,
especially as we work toward new, long-term nutrition
standards.
In closing, I appreciate the Subcommittee's support for our
effort to ensure students are nourished and ready to learn. I
thank Chairman Fetterman for introducing legislation to expand
CEP and supporting Universal School Meals Program Act, and I
urge members to support these bills and boost funding for
school meal programs. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Taylor can be found on page
200 in the appendix.]
Senator Fetterman. I thank you. Now Mrs. Rentzel.
STATEMENT OF KAY SWARTZ RENTZEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
SOUTHESTERN FOOD PROCESSORS ASSOCIATION, NATIONAL PEACH
COUNCIL, AND U.S. SWEET POTATO COUNCIL, DILLSBURG, PA
Mrs. Rentzel. Good afternoon Chairman Fetterman, Ranking
Member Braun, and esteemed members of the Subcommittee. Thank
you for the opportunity today to speak to you about the
importance of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast
Programs. They serve as foundational pillars of health, well-
being, and education in millions of American students.
As you have heard, I have a career in specialty crops,
which extends well beyond those that you previously listed, but
it certainly is a pleasure to work in the industry.
The Federal school lunch and breakfast programs are crucial
to ensuring that our children, many of whom come from food-
insecure households, have access to the nutrition that they
need to focus, learn, and grow. These programs go well beyond
simply feeding the students. They instill lifelong habits of
eating, support local economies, and ensure that nutrition is
equitable across all socioeconomic lines.
Americans fall far short of meeting the recommended intake
of fruit and vegetables. All Federal feeding programs should
promote greater consumption of these important foods. Federal
programs intended to increase produce consumption should focus
on all forms, not just fresh, but also include frozen, dried,
and canned. This will help the consumer, including our
students, meet those requirements that they are so deficient in
of the USDA guidelines for Americans on fruit and vegetables.
Students who interact with these programs not only receive
a meal but they are learning about food systems, agriculture,
and nutrition. It is essential that children understand where
their food comes from.
Through American innovation, domestic growers and
manufacturers have made nutritious food, such as canned and
frozen foods, available all year long. These products are
picked at their peak ripeness and processed within hours,
locking in nutritional value. Here is an example. A typical
green bean is harvested at the peak of ripeness, transported to
the processing facility that is within 90 miles of the farms,
blanched and canned, all within five hours. This process
ensures freshness and safety without the risk of any spoilage
or food-borne illnesses that may occur with improperly handled
fresh produce.
Whenever possible, though, we should prioritize purchasing
the safest and most nutritious food options for our students.
American-grown fruits and vegetables, in all forms, are an
excellent solution.
While preferential fresh produce programs may be an
aspirational policy proposal, the reality is that the American
school year does not align with the growing season. It is
equally important to educate students on the remarkable
domestic food manufacturing sector, which forms the backbone of
our agricultural economy, and emphasize the importance of
consuming fruits and vegetables, whether they are fresh,
frozen, or canned.
It is undeniable that the programs favoring fresh-only
options actually harm many farmers and inadvertently
incentivize, if not subsidize, foreign food imports. This
dynamic is one of the key factors beyond the United States
becoming a net food importer in 2023, one of the first times in
our history.
We will not solve all the problems facing our trade
inequities in agriculture, but there is one piece of
legislation I would like to highlight that will address some of
these critical problems, and that is the American Food for
American Schools Act, which is a bipartisan, bicameral piece of
legislation that strengthens the Buy American provision of the
National School Lunch Program. It ensures fruits, vegetables,
and all food products served to our children are domestically
sourced. It not only supports American farmers and
manufacturers but it guarantees that our students consume the
highest standards of safety and quality in the food that they
eat. The bipartisan bill offers a robust solution to
establishing clear, enforceable guidelines of the National
School Lunch's Buy American mandate, and would subject it
across all of the USDA feeding programs, such as the snack
program, the summer food service program, and others, that it
be Buy American.
I stand with the farmers, the food manufacturers, the labor
unions like the Teamsters, who support this bill, and I thank
Senator Braun and Senator Brown for their leadership on this
critical issue. Strengthening the Buy American provision
ensures that the children eat not only safe and nutritious food
but it supports the backbone of American agriculture.
In conclusion, there is no safer source of quality
nutrition than that produced right here in America. By buying
American food for American schools we are not only supporting
our children but also safeguarding the livelihoods of the
families who grow, harvest, and process our food. Strengthening
these programs and reinforcing Buy American requirements means
everybody wins--the students, our communities, and our
agricultural families who work tirelessly to feed all of us.
Thank you again, and I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Mrs. Rentzel can be found on
page 203 in the appendix.]
Senator Fetterman. Thank you. Dr. Bruening.
STATEMENT OF MEG BRUENING, Ph.D., PROFESSOR AND DEPARTMENT
HEAD, DEPARTMENT OF NUTRITIONAL SCIENCES, THE PENNSYLVANIA
STATE UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY PARK, PA
Dr. Bruening. Thank you, Chairman Fetterman, Ranking Member
Braun, and members of the Subcommittee for this opportunity and
honor to speak with you today.
My name is Dr. Meg Bruening, and in my day job, I am a
professor, registered dietician, and department head of the
Department of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State. My research
focuses on the food and nutrition security of underserved youth
and families, and much of my work is done in schools. I have
lived and conducted school nutrition research in Pennsylvania,
Minnesota, and Arizona.
Today, I am speaking as an individual citizen, and my
comments are not representative of the viewpoints of The
Pennsylvania State University nor any current or past funding
agencies who have provided funding for my research.
As we have heard today, the school meals program in the
U.S. provides a critical safety net for almost 30 million
children with meals each year. That is 60 percent of our
children in America. School meal programs are aligned closely
with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, ensuring a variety
of healthy foods are offered to children while at school, where
children spend most of their waking and eating hours.
As I am sure you are aware, as members of this
Subcommittee, very few children meet dietary recommendations.
In fact, only 1 out of 10 children meet recommendations for the
intake of fruits and vegetables. Consumption of fruits and
vegetables--foods with important nutrients needed for physical
and emotional growth and well-being--decrease as children age.
By the time kids are in middle and high school, up to 43
percent of them report not consuming a single fruit or
vegetable on a given day, resulting in the loss of the
consumption of critical nutrition.
School meals help to buffer the tendency of low fruit and
vegetable consumption, and school meals are consistently linked
to improved dietary patterns for kids, especially since 2012.
In addition, school meals are important in fending off food
insecurity for our most vulnerable children. School meals
ensure that kids get the right amounts of the right types of
foods for their growth and development during the school day.
Research shows us that food and nutrition security,
including consuming healthy dietary patterns and diets rich in
fruits and vegetables, is linked with student outcomes and
student cognition. For example, studies have found that school
lunch quality and universal school meals have been associated
with increased student test scores and academic outcomes in
multiple States, including South Carolina, California, and New
York.
The research on linking student attendance and more long-
term academic outcomes is needed. Much of this research is
focused on elementary students. Brains and bodies continue to
grow and develop into their early 20's. Much more research is
needed for students of all ages to help their growth and
development.
We need to continue to test ways to get healthier foods on
trays in school meals to promote student well-being, especially
fruits and vegetables. Some tools school nutrition researchers
have tested with success include salad bars the Fresh Fruits
and Vegetable Program (FFVP). With my research partner at
Arizona State University, Dr. Marc Adams, we conducted the
first randomized control trial testing how effective salad bars
were at increasing fruits and vegetables. We conducted this
research with almost 10,000 children across 37 schools in
Arizona.
When extrapolated across a week, we found that school salad
bars effectively increased the consumption of fruits and
vegetables by 1 1/2 servings. Consistently, our research shows,
in this study and others, that kids are more likely to consume
foods if they are on their trays. If the foods do not make it
to the tray, there is a zero percent chance of consumption.
School meals help expose children to healthy foods through
their offerings and promote consumption through selection. FFVP
is available to low-income elementary schools to expose
children to various fresh fruits and vegetables via nutrition
education and taste testing. Importantly, this program is often
linked to Farm-to-School initiatives, helping to bring local
produce from local farms, and is often expanded into the lunch
programs, expanding the economic impact of local foods for
local farmers.
These programs have been shown to increase the consumption
of fresh fruits and vegetables for students. This research even
shows that consumption increases at home, as well.
I want to end with data from my own research today. In
addition to plate waste measures, we also collected data on the
time it took individual students to eat and how that was
related to their consumption. Students who took more time to
eat at lunch consumed significantly more fruits and vegetables.
Specifically, just two minutes a day resulted in an increase of
100 grams of fruits and vegetables. These findings indicate
that if we can slow things down just a little bit at lunch,
kids will consume healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.
In sum, research shows that school meals are linked to
cognition and academics. We know ways like salad bars and the
FFVP can be used to increase intake. Yet so much more research
is needed. People like myself are eager to help evaluate the
best strategies to make the most of the Federal dollars
invested in school meals that support all kids.
I can't leave today without acknowledging the heroic
efforts of school food service directors and school meal
workers to feed our children. Thank you for your attention to
these issues and the opportunity to speak with you today. I am
happy to answer questions.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Bruening can be found on
page 209 in the appendix.]
Senator Fetterman. Thank you for all of you. Now we are
moving into the part of questioning on that. Now I will begin
with my own questions.
Ms. Taylor, students who participate in the USDA school
meals program can face stigma. Do you agree with that?
Ms. Taylor. Absolutely, yes, which is one of the reasons
why at Chichester we decided to take our district CEP, because
that created equity in our cafeterias, and now no student is
ashamed to come in because everyone is on the same level. They
will walk right in and receive a lunch at no cost, or a
breakfast meal at no cost.
Senator Fetterman. I mean, have you even witnessed a child
being teased or mocked for using those kinds of things?
Ms. Taylor. In the past we have seen students just opt to
not come into the cafeteria for the fear of----
Senator Fetterman. They would rather choose to face the
embarrassment, or they would actually go hungry?
Ms. Taylor. Correct. Yes.
Senator Fetterman. That is crazy, and I cannot even imagine
that, to go hungry for the rest of the day just because you
were embarrassed to actually just, you know, to get lunch. I
mean, that is sad and remarkable at the same time.
Now, how can that kind of, that CEP provision can reduce
that and that stigma.
Ms. Taylor. Absolutely, because now it does not matter if
you have money or not, if your parents actually have money or
the ability to pay for a meal, because every student receives
that meal at no cost to them. It helps to just even the playing
field. We offer different choices for them so they can come in
and get any item that they would like that day.
Senator Fetterman. Okay. Now the next question, and I am
just going to open that up to really anybody on the panel since
we all have experts. You know, when I was in third grade, eight
years old, I guess, that is probably 47 years ago, but one of
the things I always remember that during lunch, and some days I
would pack, and I have an Evel Knievel metal box, lunchbox,
maybe get a GN reference. Some days if I am buying it, if
anyone remembers those very thick, thick rubber kind of hub,
you know, wallets, that you pushed together, with coins and
stuff in them, because you actually used coins to purchase
lunch and drinks like that.
Even then, nearly half a century ago, we were paying for
our lunch back then, and that is one of the things I remember.
I feel like now we have--we have normalized that paying for
lunch. When I was eight years old, nobody said, you know,
``Hey, pay for the bus'' that I get to school when I ran there.
I never had to pay for a clean bathroom, or I never paid for
any of my books there. I still remember paying for a lunch, and
now students have, across this Nation, and certain in my State,
they are paying for their lunch. I personally, I think that is
absurd.
I want to open it to the panel. Is that absurd, or what are
your thoughts?
Ms. Fitzsimons. Yes. I wanted to jump in on a couple of
things, because you had asked about stigma. I mean, we see that
playing out in three ways, really. The first is there are
definitely kids who opt out of the program and who go to the
library during the lunch period or hang out in the bathroom.
One superintendent even told FRAC that they had an open campus,
and he decided to go walk around the neighborhood because he
did not have anything to eat and he did not want to go into the
cafeteria.
Every time I talk to people, people tell me those stories,
and as kids get older they are more likely to opt out of the
program once they get to middle school and high school. I have
had people tell me that once they hit middle school they never
participated in school lunch again because of the stigma that
they saw in middle school.
I had a parent tell me that they were glad my kid ate
school lunch because their kid, who I knew was eligible, was
more likely to participate because there were other kids who
were eating it. I know parents do not fill out the school meal
applications because they are embarrassed, and that can be even
stronger in rural areas.
A family member, actually one time, who was going through a
really tough time, I was encouraging them to apply for free or
reduced price schools meals, and their response to me was, ``I
don't want everyone in the school to know about it.'' I said,
``Well, of course they can't know about it. It's supposed to be
confidential.'' They just laughed at me.
Those are all the different ways that it can really play
out in schools. I mean, we can all remember what it was like to
be a kid and how much social pressure there is, and kids should
not be pressured when they go into the school cafeteria. They
should be able to access the food that they need to learn and
thrive.
Senator Fetterman. Also, I am going to give myself an extra
30 seconds, because I want to have at least one more member. Is
it absurd that a child or that a family has to pay for lunch?
Anyone? Any one more?
Mr. Redding. I will jump in on behalf of Pennsylvania, not
NASDA, just to say, and this is the recent experience that I
noted in my opening statement about the second year with the
Universal School Breakfast, and to see a 23 percent increase in
participation, to see the issue of stigma being addressed
directly. It simply removes that as the barrier.
From the State standpoint we have seen tremendous benefit
of having universal access and universal breakfast and lunch.
Senator, I think you are absolutely right. I mean, I think
that is the value of making sure that folks see both the need
for and the opportunity that exists, certainly from an ag
standpoint. Let's talk about the farm products and agricultural
products being part of this universal system. Thank you.
Senator Braun. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Of course, that is
a big issue, also would be the supply chain, making sure we
keep our own food system there healthy.
I would like to start with you, Secretary Redding. Has our
own source of supply atrophied over time, and what is the
current picture out there in terms of how much we source
domestically versus elsewhere into school food programs?
Mr. Redding. Senator, I am not sure I can tell you the
global percentage balance. Maybe other panelists or witnesses
can do that. I think in just looking at the final rule there
has been some cap of about--not cap--about 8.5 percent of, in
2017-18 data, that was nondomestic use in the school lunch
program.
Senator Braun. Seventeen to----
Mr. Redding. I am sorry. 2017 to 1918, about 8.5 percent.
Senator Braun. Okay.
Mr. Redding. That is not a big number, but I do not know,
again, whether that is reflective at large.
The interest we have, and I think to your point, that when
you have the Buy American provisions it is an expectation that
you will have an opportunity, at the farm level and the
business level, to benefit from these feeding and nutrition
programs locally. That local definition and local preference is
certainly critical to, I think, the success of both the farm
community. We hear that as themes in the farm bill, but we also
see it as a central provision of the food and nutrition
programs from the USDA.
Senator Braun. That is actually a little lower percentage
than what I thought, unless the trend is moving quickly the
other way.
Mrs. Rentzel, what about the idea of wholesome, nutritious?
It seems like if you would be accessing food in other places it
would not possibly have the chance to be as fresh, with the
perishability of it. What is your opinion there, and the idea
that you would try to really encourage all food to be American
grown?
Mrs. Rentzel. Senator, I would say that American farmers
are incredibly proud of the quality, the nutrition, and the
food products that they put on all of our plates. For them to
be able to do so and have it there literally within hours, I am
aware of a number of farming operations, some that are fresh
suppliers, some that are canned suppliers, they are able to
deliver foods to their local school districts, some within 12
hours of harvesting. Obviously is there is a process involved
and it needs to come from a little further away it may be a
day, a day and a half.
That food that they produce is the safest in the world. We
have the most stringent regulations when it comes to production
and processing, and to be able to say that imported foods, that
might be underpriced, are able to be a part of this program but
not maintain the quality that we expect of our own American
growers, it would be a slap in the face to them, and it is
really, really devastating to them, as producers. They need
that balance of the local market and the support of the
schools, as well.
Senator Braun. That logistics of being just basically a few
hours from farm to table is impressive. Currently what would
you say that percentage is in terms of breakdown between fresh
produce and processed in school lunches?
Mrs. Rentzel. I am not sure I know that information. I
would be happy to look into it. I can tell you that every
farmer out there relies on a balance between fresh and
processed. If one market is strong they will move the majority
of their crop that direction. If it is a strong processing year
and they need to move product over there, they have to have a
market to do that, and that includes not only a processor that
will handle it but also a marketplace that will buy the
finished goods, as well. Those products are equally nutritious.
I believe in the written statement you will see a lot of
nutritional comparisons, and you will find that canned, fresh,
and frozen all are of equal value when it comes to nutrition.
Senator Braun. [Presiding.] Thank you. Senator Booker, are
you ready to go?
Senator Booker. I am 100 percent, rip-roaring ready, sir.
Senator Braun. As normal.
Senator Booker. Yes, sir. Thank you so much. I want to
thank our witnesses for being here.
I have really been in this space, working really hard, and
I think it is more of a crisis than most Americans can even
begin to realize. One of the challenges is not just making food
available but making sure it is quality, healthy food that is
not making our children sick.
Right now obesity rates in our country have been continuing
to skyrocket, and it is growing. Right now, about a quarter of
our kids, of our teenagers, are pre-diabetic or have type 2
diabetes. That is stunning, not to mention the obesity rate.
You hear it from our national defense, saying that right now
very few of our young people are even qualified due to physical
challenges, being qualified for military draft.
Much of that can be attributed to the fact that we are
seeing this overwhelming amount of ultra-processed foods into
our children's diet. They comprise right now about two-thirds
of our kids' diets are ultra-processed foods, two-thirds of the
calories that our children and teens eat. The ingredients are,
I think, toxic. They have artificial food dyes in them that
have shown evidence of disrupting the body and being linked to
hyperactivity, and worse, not to mention the presence of heavy
metals and other environmental toxins in our foods, which we
know have impacts on children's very brain development.
This is a crisis. School meals are one of the key ways that
we can fight back and make sure that kids are getting the
safest, most nutritious meals possible. That is why I am
introducing today the Safe School Meals Act. This bill would
set limits on heavy metals in school meals, reassess dangerous
food additives like artificial dyes, ban certain pesticide
residues, and ban PFAS in school packaging.
I think that we have to move with urgency. The great thing
about it, these issues, when we talk about them, have such
bipartisan support out there in America. In Washington, we need
to get that done.
I just want to know, even just getting school means in
alignment with the dietary guidelines would be a huge thing.
Dr. Bruening, what effect would doing that have on children's
health, just doing that?
Dr. Bruening. Is the question what effect would aligning
with the dietary guidelines?
Senator Booker. Yes.
Dr. Bruening. I mean, we would expect children to be
healthier. Thirty million children are touched by school meals,
and so we would expect them to----
Senator Booker. No, thank you. It is a no-brainer. That was
just like, Cory, brilliant. Thank you very much.
It is so important, and yet here we have just some
commonsense things, though, that also I think steps we should
take to have bipartisan support. That is finding alternatives
to dairy. We know that 75 percent of Black students, 90 percent
of Asian students, 60 percent of Latino students, and 95
percent of Native American students are lactose intolerant,
meaning that they just are unable to digest this milk without
having really detrimental effects. Dairy milk, though, is the
only option unless they have a medical waiver. Imagine that,
having to get a medical waiver.
I want to thank Chair Fetterman for his leadership, again
on a bipartisan Add Soy Act, which would give students the
option to choose nutritionally equivalent plant-based milks
that do not make them literally sick.
I just want to ask again, Dr. Bruening--I do not mean to
pick on you--if we gave students that choice to easily select
nutritionally equivalent, plant-based milk, what effect would
that have on the kids' health?
Dr. Bruening. I should disclose that we were recently
funded by the National Dairy Council to look at the link of
milk and fruit and vegetable consumption. We have not yet
looked at those data yet.
Dairy milk does provide 13 important nutrients, and schools
can provide lactose-reduced milk for kids who have lactose
intolerance. Plant-based milks are not there quite yet with
nutrition, but some are getting there.
At the same time, I think we saw, when culturally
appropriate milks were introduced in WIC, it was successful.
Choice is really important in developing kids' habits and
dietary patterns, and some nutrients are better than no
nutrients.
Ultimately I think flexibility, as kids participate in the
NSLP, and having better diet quality than when they do not.
Flexibility in milk choice can help with that.
Senator Booker. I love that--choice, flexibility, and not
giving kids the only option for things that make them sick. We
are in agreement. You didn't say that I was brilliant, but that
is okay.
I will give you one last question, one last chance to
compliment the bald people on this dais. We have fragile egos.
We need some affirmation. I speak for myself, not for the
Senator from Georgia.
What would say if Congress was to expand programs like the
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which is an amazing program,
which would provide low-income elementary students fresh fruit
and vegetable snacks? What impact do you think that would have
if Congress did that? What impact would it have on elementary
schools and middle schools if they were all eligible to
participate?
Dr. Bruening. In our school salad bar study we saw impacts
in middle and high schools, as well. As I reported in my
testimony, we saw increases of fruit and vegetable intake at
home for kids who participated in the FFVP program. I would
expect those impacts to be extended to those additional schools
and additional students.
Senator Booker. Again, common sense. Align with the dairy
guidelines, give people options and choice, and then finally,
again, expand programs that we already know are working. Thank
you very much.
Mr. Ranking Member, Governor, Senator--thank you very much,
sir.
Senator Braun. Good job. You only ran one minute over.
[Laughter.]
Senator Braun. Thank you, Cory.
Senator Booker. Thank you.
Senator Braun. Senator Warnock, you are up next.
Senator Warnock. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have been
working to tackle the persistent issue of child hunger since
well before I was elected to the U.S. Senate, something that I
have addressed a number of times from my pulpit and in cities
and towns all across Georgia. It is unconscionable that with
all the resources we have in the United States of America, 13.8
million children are food insecure. That is one in every five
children unsure where they will get their next meal. Child
hunger is worse in the summer months because children lose
access to regular school meals.
Ms. FitzSimons, even with USDA's Summer Food Service
Programs, about how many children fall into this summer meal
gap?
Ms. FitzSimons. Yes, so only one child who participates in
the National School Lunch Program during the school year and
gets free and reduced price school meals actually has access to
a summer meal, one in seven.
Senator Warnock. One in seven. Now Congress has actually
come up with a solution to fill in this gap. It is called SUN
Bucks. How does SUN Bucks work? Can you explain it? How many
States so far have opted in? You have to opt in. Correct?
Ms. FitzSimons. Absolutely. SUN Bucks is an amazing new
program. It is modeled after the Summer EBT program that had
been piloted for years, and it has been shown to reduce hunger
and improve nutrition. It basically provides an EBT card with
$120 on it for grocery benefits, so that families are able--it
helps replace the lost school meals during the summer.
Senator Warnock. Right. The kids are not in school. Through
SUN Bucks, even though they are not in school they get access
to nutrition, meaning that nutrition does not stop in June or
July or August. Correct?
Ms. FitzSimons. Right. 37 States have adopted it, so we
have 13 States who have not. The District of Columbia has
adopted it, all territories, and two tribal nations.
Senator Warnock. Right. 37 States have adopted it, so I
assume these are not all blue States.
Ms. FitzSimons. Absolutely not.
Senator Warnock. These are States across the political
spectrum. Correct?
Ms. FitzSimons. Mm-hmm. Yep.
Senator Warnock. Unfortunately my home State, the State of
Georgia, has not opted in to SUN Bucks, with some officials
saying it does not result in higher nutritional outcomes for
students, and that existing programs are, quote, ``effective.''
I heard our State leadership that we do not need it. I am still
trying to figure out who this ``we'' is, for whom are you
speaking when you say we do not need it.
Ms. FitzSimons, when school was out this summer where there
children in Georgia who did not know where their next meal
would come from?
Ms. FitzSimons. Absolutely.
Senator Warnock. Are extreme hunger and food insecurity
good for kids' nutritional outcomes? Does it help with
learning?
Ms. FitzSimons. No. They are very bad. Kids who are food
insecure do not do as well in school, are more likely to be
sick. There are lots of problems related to food insecurity.
That is for sure.
Senator Warnock. It makes them vulnerable in a whole lot of
ways, I would imagine.
Ms. FitzSimons. Yes.
Senator Warnock. What are the outcomes for students who
have participated in SUN Bucks?
Ms. FitzSimons. We have evaluations of the Summer EBT
demonstration projects, and they show that food insecurity goes
down and nutrition goes up. It is a really important complement
to the summer nutrition program that provide meals to kids.
Senator Warnock. It sounds like a good program. I hope we
can bring it to Georgia.
Ms. FitzSimons. Me too.
Senator Warnock. You know, keeping hungry kids, it seems to
me, should not be partisan. It is not partisan. Thirty-seven
States have opted in. This should be a shared goal of all
elected officials because it is the moral responsibility of any
functioning society, especially a wealthy one, the wealthiest
nation on the planet and in human history.
Mr. Redding. Senator, if I could add, I think particularly
in Hunger Action Month, which we are in now, this reminder of
the 13.8 million is almost the entire population of
Pennsylvania, so just for perspective. We are a SUN Bucks
participant. I have seen the success of that.
We also know the economic benefits of local food systems. I
would just say that whether you are in the national school
lunch or breakfast or the farmers market nutrition or SNAP, all
of that also provides an economic opportunity for the farms,
right. There is a co-equal goal of farms and businesses.
Senator Warnock. That is correct.
Mr. Redding. I think there is a co-equal goal where you are
really honoring the need and recognition of food and nutrition.
At the same time, you are trying to pull that from the local,
and I think the Buy American provision, as the Senator noted,
is absolutely--these things go together.
Senator Warnock. As a member of the Ag Committee I support
that. This is a win-win-win for farmers and for children and
families. I could ask another question but I just want the
record to show that Cory Booker is a lawyer by training. I am a
Baptist preacher by training. He went a minute over. You can
get the rest of your time back, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Braun. Duly noted.
Senator Fetterman is voting, and I will have to do that
soon, but I do have a question for Ms. Taylor.
I am a big believer that parents should be the main
stakeholder in their own kids' education, and I am curious to
see if they are getting more interested in their kids'
nutrition. Because both, I think, would be fair game, what you
are taught and then what you eat. What do you see there? Are
parents more interested and concerned now? Which way is it
going?
Ms. Taylor. Oh, absolutely, and we kind of help push that,
as well. In the past, I feel food service departments have
usually kind of hid behind the rest of the school and just did
our jobs in silence. I am kind of like Mr. Booker. I am not
very quiet, and I make a lot of noise, so I ensure that they
know that we are there.
We have created programs to help them. Our K through
second, we partnered up with the SNAP Ed program. We do kids'
cooking classes online. Everything is free to our students. We
drop the food off to them. We get online. We teach them a
little education. It is not just our students learning, but it
is their parents, as well, so that is really awesome to see the
parents in the background, cooking with the students, and
coming back to me and saying, what can they do at home.
We also do our garden program. We will have parents
volunteer to help with our gardens any way that they can, to
help get involved. Some of them have actually volunteered in
the kitchens, just to kind of see what goes on in the
background. They are really surprised at all the work that we
have put in to produce these quality meals for our students.
I am seeing parents being more involved in their nutrition,
in their day-to-day nutrition.
Senator Braun. Well, thank you very much. I am going to go
vote, and I am going to tap this into a brief recess until the
Chair gets back. He should be back any moment. Other Senators
might come in to ask a few more questions, as well. Stay put,
and he will be back briefly. Thank you.
[Recess.]
Senator Fetterman. [Presiding.] I am chairing back in, and
my friend from Indiana.
Senator Boozman. Thank you a bunch, Mr. Chairman, and thank
you for holding this really, really very important hearing. I
want to thank all of you all for the hard work that you do. I
know it is really difficult. It has been difficult, and it is
even more difficult now. Again, I know that you all work hard
and try and do your best, and we appreciate your efforts.
Secretary Redding, Ms. Taylor, last fall USDA finalized a
rule expanding access to universal free meals by lowering the
threshold to qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision.
However, State and local educational agencies are still tasked
with finding other funding sources to offset the cost if they
choose to operate CEP.
Can you speak to how this is penciling out at the State and
local levels? Mr. Redding?
Mr. Redding. Yes, Senator. Thank you. We had a little
difficulty hearing the question. This is about the community
eligibility?
Senator Boozman. Yes. Do you want me to say it again?
Mr. Redding. Yes. Would you please?
Senator Boozman. I will actually talk into the microphone
this time.
Last fall, USDA finalized a rule expanding access to
universal free meals by lowering the threshold to qualify for
the community eligible provision. However, State and local
educational agencies are still tasked with finding other
funding sources to offset the cost if they want to participate
and operate it.
Can you speak to how this is penciling out at the State and
the local level?
Mr. Redding. Senator, I wish I could. I noted in the
introduction that the program is administered by the Department
of Education in our State, and with that the community
eligibility provisions. That was part one. Two, with the NASDA
certainly recognize that there are different metrics and
payment systems. I do not have sort of a solid answer on the
financial aspects of making up those differences, but maybe Ms.
Taylor does.
Senator Boozman. Ms. Taylor?
Ms. Taylor. Good afternoon, Senator. Unfortunately, I too
do not have that information, but I will gladly reach out to
some colleagues at the State level from the Department of
Education in Pennsylvania and certainly get back to you with an
answer on that.
Ms. FitzSimons. If I may I would love to jump in on that
question, Senator Boozman. You are absolutely right. At 25
percent identified students, it is really difficult for a
school district to offer free meals to all of their students.
What we have seen in a couple of States is the States have
actually covered the difference. New York has done that, as
well as Washington State, and there are some other States who
are considering it. Then some school districts think that it is
so important to offer free meals to all their students that
they absorb those costs and just kind of eat it.
I will say increasing the multiplier, which is currently
1.6, to 2.5, would go a long way in supporting community
eligibility schools and implementing it.
Senator Boozman. Okay. Thank you very much.
Secretary Redding, your testimony highlights the unique
needs of rural school districts as well as the importance of
taking the lessons learned from the pandemic to inform
policymaking. I have been really pleased to hear about the
success of the rural non-congregate options this summer and
ensuring more students receive nutritious food during the
summer months.
How have you seen this option make an impact for children
in rural communities across Pennsylvania this summer?
Mr. Redding. Senator, thank you for the question, and it
certainly, for all of the pain of the pandemic, we learned a
lot, and I think the waiver piece, and flexibility, and
awareness, community-wide awareness of the need for access to
food, whether that is in the breakfast or school lunch programs
and the charitable feeding program is certainly part of that.
We have also recognized the benefits, from an economic
development standpoint, I will say, just from connecting farms
and the farm community into our feeding system has been one of
those great benefits. The investments that were made in
building capacity for food processing and local process,
whether that be on the meat side or vegetables, has also been a
part of that sort of significant change that I think is both
captured in the continued work in some of the policy work. We
hope those types of aspects are included in the farm bill and
the recognition of the connectedness between our farms and food
system as well as our nutrition system, as well. Many benefits.
Senator Boozman. Very good. Thank you. One more? Thank you,
Mr. Chairman, very much.
Dr. Bruening, plate waste, you know, I have had the
opportunity to visit in the schools, and particularly during
the pandemic and now after it. I was on the school board for
seven years so I really am familiar with the great work that
they do. I think they are the unsung heroes in the school
system, and just do a tremendous job.
When I visit with them, plate waste is a serious problem.
We have updated the nutrition standards several times. If the
food ends up in the trash, you know, that is not helping
anybody. Hopefully we are in a better place for nutrition
standards for a long time.
How have you seen plate waste change over the last 15
years, in light of the nutrition standards change?
Dr. Bruening. I can share that in our studies we do measure
plate waste. I said earlier, if the food is not on the tray,
the kid is not going to eat it, so that is the first step. I do
think we could do more once it gets on the try to encourage
consumption. As I discussed, sort of slowing down the meals to
allow kids to have more time to eat would help.
I think plate waste is improving, and it is going in the
right direction, but we can always do more.
Senator Boozman. Okay. What is the average time that they
give them to eat?
Dr. Bruening. In the 37 schools that we were in, in
Arizona, it was a little over 20 minutes. Most kids take 10 of
those 20 minutes to eat, and if they will take 12, they can
have 100 more grams of fruits and vegetables by the end of the
week.
Senator Boozman. Very good. That is interesting.
Well again, we appreciate all of you. We appreciate your
hard work and look forward to working you on the farm bill and
all kinds of things.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Is that your meal there?
Is that a snack or what?
Senator Fetterman. Well, thank you. I guess no more
questions. I have nothing left to do but other than to thank
these experts for coming in. For all of you that are from
Pennsylvania, and if you are heading back later today, then
count me jealous that I won't, but safe travels to everybody. I
really want to thank all of you for coming here and enlighten
all of us throughout all this, because I really do
fundamentally think that it is so very critical.
Now the record will remain open for five business days, and
otherwise this is now adjourned. Thank you again.
[Whereupon, at 3:20 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
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