NJ Spotlight published the following article on September 12, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
SCHOOL-LUNCH POLICY ON THE MENU AS ASSEMBLY PANEL GETS BACK TO WORK
Legislative committee looks at ways to accommodate kids with vegan or vegetarian diets
The Legislature will soon get back to work on a range of significant education bills, ranging from charter schools to teacher preparation, but yesterday it started out by tackling an unexpected topic: school lunch.
As the Assembly education committee held its first hearings since the summer, it took up four relatively routine bills covering matters including school-bus driver training and reserve accounts for certain federal aid.
But there was considerable interest and testimony regarding a bill that would require middle schools and high schools to set up “food services advisory committees” – with half of the membership comprised of students — to address students concerns about the breakfasts and lunches they are served each day.
Much has changed in the last decade when it comes to school food, with new federal and state nutrition requirements — some of which are more popular than others with the students eating the food.
The bill in question is specifically aimed at students who are vegetarian or vegan, said the primary sponsor, giving them a way to press their school districts’ food services to provide more varied dietary options.