A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate would strengthen the “Buy American” provisions for the national school lunch program, limiting how often waivers can be used and expanding the requirement to other school food programs.
“It doesn’t make sense for American schools to purchase imported food when the very best beef and agricultural products are produced right here at home, including in my home state of Montana. Buying U.S.-grown agricultural products not only protects the health and wellbeing of American kids, but also supports our nation’s economy, American farmers and ranchers, and small and local agricultural businesses,” U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Montana) said in a release. “The American Food for American Schools Act strengthens the ‘Buy American’ requirement for schools to build a more secure domestic food chain and ensures federal policies back the producers who feed our nation, not foreign competitors.”
While the Buy American provision requires schools to purchase domestically produced food for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) school lunch program, officials can secure waivers to purchase imported goods instead.
If passed, the American Food for American Schools Act would limit those waivers for use only when domestic products are not available in the needed quantity or quality. Further, the legislation would limit waivers to no more than 5 percent of a school body’s annual commercial food costs within each food component, and officials would be required to notify parents when imported food is provided. Those same requirements would apply to other school food programs, including breakfasts, afterschool snacks, and more.
The legislation would also require USDA to report on compliance with Buy American requirements with a full list of approved waivers and foreign good purchases.
The bill has been endorsed by the Teamsters, American Farm Bureau, California Farm Bureau, Montana Farm Bureau, and American Fruit and Vegetable Coalition.
U.S. lawmakers have also attempted to specifically bar imported seafood from school lunches in recent years. In 2023, the Outlaw Ocean Project reported that much of the seafood purchased by the U.S. government was processed in China, and the Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers reported that half of the fish sticks bought for school lunches were processed in China.
Last year, Congress approved a ban on purchasing Chinese seafood for school lunches, and earlier this year lawmakers introduced The Buy American Seafood Act, which would require USDA to only purchase U.S.-sourced seafood.
“I am fighting to stop heavily subsidized, often-contaminated foreign seafood from undercutting our American producers – including those who harvest the finest Louisiana seafood from the Gulf of America. By prioritizing American seafood in federal purchases, we can deliver nutritious, high-quality products to families across the country,” U.S. Representative Julia Letlow (R-Louisiana) said in a release.
The legislation has been endorsed by the Southern Shrimp Alliance, the Louisiana Shrimp Association, Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
