Hartzler Moves to Provide Relief from School Lunch Regulations

Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-04) announced her introduction of H.R. 6541, the Local Control of School Lunch Act. This bill would provide students and school lunch workers relief from rigid federal school lunch requirements that are causing large amounts of food waste and diminished use of the school lunch program. Hartzler’s legislation would allow states to set their own whole grain requirements, sodium and calorie limits, and provide flexibility on fruit and vegetable requirements for high school grade levels. Additionally, it would return control of school lunch pricing to local administrators.

“This legislation provides flexibility to school administrators and gives students more options at lunch time,” Hartzler, a former family and consumer sciences teacher for 11 years said. “Common-sense changes need to be made to the National School Lunch Program to ensure all children have access to nutritious, affordable meals they will eat without putting unnecessary burdens on our local school districts resulting in food that is thrown away. Local schools require permanent relief and local control, not more federal mandates.”

Hartzler also introduced a bill in the last Congress to allow school lunch pricing decisions to be made at the local level. “Washington should not dictate the price of our local school lunches nor prescribe what our kids eat. As a parent and a former school teacher, I know how important it is to empower our schools to do what’s best for their students,” Hartzler said. “I’m doing everything I can to make sure our students are successful, and one aspect of that is making sure they have access to a filling, nutritious lunches they can enjoy,” she added.