Bill Text: HI SR98 | 2018 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Requesting The Department Of Education To Reexamine The Menu Schedules For School Meals To Give Local Produce Suppliers The Ability To Provide Locally Grown Produce In Each Meal, In Keeping With United States Department Of Agriculture Standards.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-28 - Report adopted, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. [SR98 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2018-SR98-Amended.html

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THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	98
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO REEXAMINE THE MENU SCHEDULES FOR SCHOOL MEALS TO GIVE LOCAL PRODUCE SUPPLIERS THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE LOCALLY GROWN PRODUCE IN EACH MEAL, IN KEEPING WITH UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE STANDARDS.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Education is a large purchaser of food products for child nutrition programs, including the school breakfast program, national school lunch program, afterschool snack program, and summer food service program; and

 

     WHEREAS, as a large purchaser of food products, the Department of Education can make a significant impact on the local economy by purchasing produce from local farms; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii's school children will benefit from the purchase of local produce by consuming fresher, better tasting, and more nutritious food; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2015, Lieutenant Governor Shan Tsutsui convened the Hawaii Farm to School Advisory Group to develop a pathway toward bringing fresh, local food to schools statewide; better understand the existing barriers for food distributors and farmers to respond to the Department of Education solicitations for locally-grown produce, meat, and other food; solicit feedback on solicitation document language, terms, and the solicitation process; identify products currently available to distributors or produced by local farmers that could be incorporated into the Department of Education lunch program; and reinforce the vision that Hawaii exists as a perpetual reminder of finite resources, fertile lands, and communities who are committed to the well-being of their keiki; and

 

     WHEREAS, the procurement of produce from local farms can also serve as a "market primer" by representing a stable source of demand for local farmers, thereby creating the security required for these farmers to invest in the capital necessary to expand production capacity and access additional markets; and

 

     WHEREAS, the United States Department of Agriculture sets forth nutritional requirements for school meals; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Education creates menus for school meals with specific food items that schools must all produce; and

 

     WHEREAS, while creating this type of strict menu is beneficial when ordering food in bulk, if the specific product is not produced or manufactured in Hawaii in sufficient and available quantities or, through competitive bids, the costs of a locally produced food are significantly higher, the Department of Education purchases the food from mainland providers; and

 

     WHEREAS, flexibility is needed in the menu schedules to allow local produce suppliers the opportunity to meet the Department of Education's needs; and

 

     WHEREAS, for example, rather than a menu specifying "one cup of broccoli", the menu could require "one cup of fresh vegetables" instead; and

 

     WHEREAS, allowing flexibility in school menus that meet United States Department of Agriculture standards will further promote purchasing from and supporting local farms, while providing schoolchildren with healthy meals; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that the Department of Education is requested to reexamine the menu schedules for school meals to give local produce suppliers the ability to provide locally grown produce in each meal, in keeping with United States Department of Agriculture standards; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to look at incorporating more flexible menu requirements that specify food groups, rather than specific foods, especially in fresh produce requirements; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chair of the Board of Education and Superintendent of Education.

Report Title: 

Department of Education; School Meals; Menu; Local Produce