California bill would put added sugar limits on school meals

California Senator Nancy Skinner has introduced legislation that would set guidelines for added sugar included in school meals served throughout the state.

SB 348 would limit school meals to 25 grams of added sugar per day to match the American Academy of Pediatrics added sugar recommendation.

The bill builds upon the recent proposed changes to the School Nutrition Standards, which include added sugar limits to school meals for the first time.

“The newly proposed national school nutrition standards are a much-needed step to ensure that all American children can access healthy school meals. Now that California provides our K-12 students two free meals a day, we want those meals to be healthy and not contribute to health complications like diabetes, which is now the most common chronic disease among school-age children,” Sen. Skinner said in a press release. “SB 348 will ensure that California’s school meals are nutritious and that California is a national leader in the fight against diabetes.”