Bill Text: NJ SR14 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges schools to implement share tables in order to reduce food waste and help alleviate food insecurity.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee [SR14 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-SR14-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator BOB SMITH
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Urges schools to implement share tables in order to reduce food waste and help alleviate food insecurity.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
A Senate Resolution urging schools to implement share tables in order to reduce food waste and help alleviate food insecurity in the State.
Whereas, Share tables are designated places in school cafeterias where students can place unopened, unconsumed food, which other students can take throughout the day, or which can be donated to food pantries; and
Whereas, Share tables are an effective, low-cost, and simple initiative for food recovery, which can be easily implemented across grade levels; and
Whereas, Approximately 21 percent of the caloric value in a school lunch is discarded as food waste, according to a study carried out by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); and
Whereas, The USDA also reports that 30 to 40 percent of the total food supply in the United States is discarded as food waste, with 31 percent discarded at the consumer level; and
Whereas, According to the Department of Health, nearly nine percent of New Jersey residents are food insecure, meaning that they lack consistent access to food or have had to make a change in eating habits because of a lack of resources; and
Whereas, The Department of Health also reports that nearly 10 percent of children under the age of 18 in the State are food insecure; and
Whereas, Share tables represent a way to reduce food waste, which increases solid waste disposal costs and releases greenhouse gases when it decomposes, and to reduce food insecurity in the State by making more food available to the State's food pantries, while at the same time teaching students to be more environmentally and ethically conscious; and
Whereas, While some school districts in New Jersey already implement programs to reduce food waste such as "offer-versus-serve," which gives students a choice to take food items instead of automatically serving it to them, implementing share tables would be a complementary way to further reduce food waste and also address food insecurity by offering a place for students to place items that they have already taken but not consumed or opened; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House urges each school in the State to implement a share table system in its school cafeteria in order to reduce food waste and help alleviate food insecurity in the State.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Senate Secretary to the State's food insecurity advocate, appointed pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2021, c.242 (C.52:27J-4), the Commissioner of Education, and the State Board of Education for dissemination to all public school districts.
STATEMENT
This Senate resolution would urge schools to implement share tables, in order to reduce food waste and help alleviate food insecurity in the State.
