Helping Schools Feed Kids Act of 2023

Helping Schools Feed Kids Act of 2023

This bill extends temporary additional reimbursements for certain school-based nutrition programs and requires the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to implement or recommend changes to the administration of the programs.

Specifically, for the school year beginning in July 2023, the bill extends for one year temporary additional reimbursements for the cost of certain meals: 40 cents per lunch served in the National School Lunch Program, 15 cents per breakfast served in the School Breakfast Program, and 10 cents per meal and supplement served in the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

Further, FNS must research or implement recommendations contained in the FNS-commissioned Child Nutrition Reporting Burden Analysis Study. In addition, FNS must

• post all FNS guidance and policy materials provided to states and school food authorities on the FNS website in a user-friendly system;
• create a plan to simplify the school breakfast and lunch program eligibility process, which includes research and recommendations on using a standardized meal application form and verifying program eligibility using census tract data on poverty levels; and
• recommend legislative changes to allow school food authorities serving under 100 students and residential child care institutions to receive food (or cash in lieu of food) from the Department of Agriculture's Food in Schools program without having to participate in the National School Lunch Program.