H 4562
An Act relative to healthy school lunches
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Bill overview
This bill, titled ‘An Act relative to healthy school lunches,’ aims to improve the nutritional quality of school meals in Massachusetts. It establishes standards for school food service providers, requiring a significant portion of entrées to be ‘healthy foods’ containing whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich proteins. The bill also restricts the sale of ultra-processed foods and mandates public disclosure of nutrition data. Finally, it creates a council to advise on school meal nutrition standards.
Key provisions
- Requires at least 50% of entrées served in schools to be ‘healthy foods’ as defined by the bill.
- Limits the sale of ultra-processed foods in school meals.
- Mandates public disclosure of nutrition data for school meals on a monthly basis.
- Defines key terms such as ‘entrée,’ ‘fiber-rich,’ ‘reimbursable meal,’ and ‘ultra-processed food’ for clarity.
- Establishes a School Meal Nutrition Standards Advisory Council to provide guidance and feasibility assessments.
- Creates a three-year phase-in period for food service providers to comply with the new standards.
- Designates March 21 as Massachusetts Child Nutrition Day.
- Amends Chapter 71 of the General Laws to include provisions regarding the purpose of ensuring student nourishment.
Who is affected
- Massachusetts public schools and school districts
- Students in Massachusetts public schools
- Food service management companies operating in Massachusetts schools
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Joint Committee on Education
Cosponsors
Michael S. Day
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Bill H.4562 194th (Current)
An Act relative to healthy school lunches
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Bill Information
Bill Information
Sponsor: Joint Committee on Education Status: Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means
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Bill History Cosponsors Committee Vote
Bill History
Displaying 3 actions for Bill H.4562
| Date | Branch | Action |
| 10/2/2025 | House | Reported from the committee on Education |
| 10/2/2025 | House | New draft of H539 |
| 10/2/2025 | House | Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means |
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