US HR8928, the Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act, amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish a pilot program awarding competitive grants to school food authorities for two school years to promote scratch cooking—preparing meals from unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients. Grants can fund staff training, cafeteria equipment, infrastructure improvements, employee compensation for additional prep time, student education, and procurement technology. The program prioritizes schools serving high proportions of low-income students, self-operated food services, and those with unionized workforces. A technical assistance center will help grant recipients develop strategic plans and assess needs. The bill authorizes 20 million dollars annually through fiscal year 2031, with schools required to report on increased use of whole or raw ingredients and the percentage of scratch-cooked meals.

Why It Matters to MAHA

This bill directly advances MAHA's core commitment to clean food and nutritional transparency by incentivizing schools to move away from ultra-processed, ingredient-laden meals toward whole-food cooking. Scratch cooking reduces student exposure to artificial dyes, preservatives, and ultra-processed additives that have been banned in many countries but remain common in conventional school lunch programs. By supporting infrastructure, training, and labor costs for from-scratch meal preparation, the bill removes barriers that have forced schools into reliance on processed commodity foods loaded with harmful additives. The emphasis on transparent reporting of ingredient sourcing and cooking methods aligns with MAHA's demand for transparency in what children eat. This pilot program represents a practical, market-based approach to improving food quality without federal restrictions—empowering schools and food service workers to make healthier choices.