HR5867-119

What This Bill Does

The Plant-Powered School Meals Pilot Act amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act in two major ways. First, it directs USDA to run a three-year pilot grant program for eligible school food authorities where at least 50 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch or breakfast. Grants can fund professional development for food service personnel, employee compensation for training and added plant-based meal work, technical assistance, student engagement, taste tests, recipe development, culinary education, and procurement from producers of 100 percent plant-based food options, including underserved producers, limited-resource farmers or ranchers, certified organic producers, and local farmers. USDA should prioritize applicants serving high proportions of free or reduced-price students, collaborating with community partners and agricultural producers, using experiential and culturally appropriate education, and incorporating organically produced plant-based options. The bill authorizes $10 million for fiscal year 2026, available through fiscal year 2030, and requires school food authority records, annual reports, USDA reports to Congress, and technical assistance. Second, it updates dietary accommodation rules for school meals by preserving substitutions for medical needs and religious or other special dietary needs, requiring disability-related fluid milk substitutes as ADA and Rehabilitation Act accommodations, requiring nondairy substitutes for medical or special dietary needs and written student or parent requests, allowing schools to offer nutritionally equivalent nondairy beverages, and creating a separate three-year pilot grant program funded at $2 million for fiscal year 2026 to reimburse eligible school food authorities for nondairy beverage substitute costs.

Who Benefits and How

Students in high-poverty school districts benefit because pilot grants can expand access to culturally appropriate 100 percent plant-based breakfast and lunch options. Students with lactose intolerance, disabilities, medical needs, religious needs, or other special dietary needs benefit because the bill strengthens substitution and nondairy beverage rules. School food authorities benefit from grant funding for professional development, staff compensation, taste tests, recipe development, procurement, and nondairy beverage reimbursements. Underserved, veteran, socially disadvantaged, limited-resource, organic, and local agricultural producers benefit because grant funds may support procurement of plant-based foods from those producers. USDA and Congress benefit from annual school food authority reports and USDA reports measuring schools served, students served, options served, and grant uses.

Who Bears the Burden and How

USDA Food and Nutrition Service staff must create two pilot programs, review applications, provide technical assistance, collect reports, and report to Congress. School food authorities must submit applications with participatory evaluation and culturally appropriate meal plans, keep records, file annual reports, and manage grant compliance. School meal programs must pay unreimbursed excess costs for required nondairy substitutions except where pilot grant funds cover those costs. Food service personnel may need training and added work to prepare, procure, market, and serve plant-based options and nondairy beverages. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of the $10 million plant-based foods pilot and the $2 million nondairy beverage pilot.

Key Provisions

• Establishes a three-year USDA pilot grant program for 100 percent plant-based food options in eligible high-poverty school food authorities.
• Authorizes grants for food service training, staff compensation, technical assistance, student engagement, taste tests, recipe development, culinary education, and producer procurement.
• Requires grantee recordkeeping, annual reports to USDA, USDA annual reports to Congress, and USDA technical assistance and best-practice sharing.
• Authorizes $10 million for fiscal year 2026, available through fiscal year 2030, for the plant-based foods pilot.
• Amends school meal dietary accommodation rules for medical, disability, religious, and other special dietary needs.
• Requires or allows nutritionally equivalent nondairy beverage substitutions and creates a $2 million fiscal year 2026 pilot to reimburse eligible school food authorities for nondairy substitute costs.