New York bill would bring halal and kosher meals to schools

It’s been a busy week at the state level when it comes to school nutrition legislation. Lawmakers in New York are making another attempt at bringing kosher and halal meals to schools, while Iowa is seeking approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to run its own version of the SUN Bucks program.

Here’s the latest in school nutrition legislation.

New York lawmakers consider halal and kosher meal requirement for schools

Halal and kosher meals could be coming to New York schools. The New York Assembly has introduced A10651. Under the bill, schools that have a Muslim population equal or greater than 10% of the student population must offer halal food options at lunch and schools that have a Jewish population equal or greater than 2% of the student population must offer kosher food options at lunch.

The bill is currently in the House Appropriations Committee. There has also been a companion bill introduced in the Senate.

This is not the first time the state has tried to pass legislation that would require schools to offer Halal meals. In 2022, the state introduced the  Making Equitable and Alternative Lunches (MEAL) Act which failed to pass. The bill was reintroduced last year, where it again never made it to the governor’s desk.  

Iowa looks to implement its own version of summer meals program

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services has submitted a 2025 SUN Bucks waiver to the USDA.

The waiver, however, would be used to implement a summer feeding demonstration project instead of the USDA’s SUN Bucks program (formerly known as Summer EBT) which provides families located in states who participate in the program $40 per child each month while school is not in session.

Iowa was one of a handful of states who opted out of the Sun Bucks program this summer with state officials citing the program’s extra costs and its allowance of families to use the funds to purchase food with little nutritional value as some of the reasons why they are not participating.

If approved, the state would establish a summer feeding demonstration project which would use bulk pricing to offer a greater amount of food to families at a lower cost, state officials say. Under the program, the state would offer three monthly healthy food boxes to families at distribution sites across the state. There would also be delivery options for those who have transportation challenges and can’t make it to a site.

“Together with Iowa HHS and the Department of Education, the state is proposing a summer feeding demonstration project better suited for our state’s specific needs and capabilities,” Governor Reynolds said in a statement. “Iowa’s plan is projected to feed nearly 60,000 more children at a lower cost than the SUN Bucks cash benefit, while utilizing existing infrastructure and promoting healthier options.”