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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2100 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 735
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Andres X. Vargas and Mindy Domb
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to promote food literacy.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Andres X. Vargas3rd Essex1/15/2025Mindy Domb3rd Hampshire1/15/2025Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire1/24/2025Joanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester1/24/2025Steven Ultrino33rd Middlesex1/27/2025Natalie M. Blais1st Franklin1/27/2025Danillo A. Sena37th Middlesex1/27/2025Erika Uyterhoeven27th Middlesex1/31/2025Hannah Kane11th Worcester1/31/2025Samantha Montaño15th Suffolk2/6/2025Rodney M. Elliott16th Middlesex2/6/2025Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and Worcester2/7/2025James C. Arena-DeRosa8th Middlesex2/20/2025Natalie M. Higgins4th Worcester2/24/2025Kevin G. Honan17th Suffolk2/26/2025Bruce E. TarrFirst Essex and Middlesex3/3/2025 1 of 4
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2100 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 735
By Representatives Vargas of Haverhill and Domb of Amherst, a petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 735) of Andres X. Vargas, Mindy Domb and others that the Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education be authorized to promote and facilitate food literacy
programs in school districts, charter schools, approved private day or residential schools, or
collaborative schools. Education.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 601 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act to promote food literacy.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 10 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition,
2is hereby amended by inserting after section 35SSS the following section:
3 Section 35TTT. There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth
4a separate fund to be known as the Food Literacy Trust Fund. The fund may receive money
5from: any appropriations authorized by the general court specifically designated to be credited to
6the fund; gifts, grants and donations from public or private sources; federal reimbursements and
7grants-in-aid; and any interest earned from the fund. Monies may be expended by the department
8of elementary and secondary education to encourage and facilitate food literacy programs in 2 of 4
9school districts, charter schools, approved private day or residential schools, or collaborative
10schools.
11 No expenditure from the fund shall cause the fund to be in deficiency at the close of the
12fiscal year. The fund shall be an expendable trust fund and shall not be subject to appropriation
13or allotment. The state treasurer shall be the custodian of the fund and shall receive, deposit and
14invest all money transmitted under this section to ensure the highest interest rate available
15consistent with the safety of the fund. The books and records of the fund shall be subject to an
16annual audit by the state auditor. The commissioner of elementary and secondary education shall
17report annually to the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee
18on education on income received into the fund and sources of that income, any expenditure from
19the fund and the purpose of that expenditure and the fund’s balance. Money in the fund at the
20end of the fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure
21in the subsequent year and shall not be subject to section 5C of chapter 29.
22 SECTION 2. The third paragraph section 1D of chapter 69 of the General Laws, as so
23appearing, is hereby by amended, the words “consumer skills,” in line 38, by adding the
24following words:-
25 “food literacy,”
26 SECTION 3. Chapter 69 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
27inserting after section 1T the following section:
28 Section 1U. (a) Food literacy standards established pursuant to section 1D shall promote
29an understanding of food systems including, but not limited to: (i) nutrition and the impact of
30diet on personal health; (ii) culinary skills and menu planning; (iii) food production, including 3 of 4
31farming, fishing, and processing; (iv) the connections between the food system and the
32environment; (v) hunger, its causes and efforts to alleviate it; (vi) racial and other inequities in
33access to food and jobs in the food system; (vii) food justice; (viii) cultural connections to food;
34and (ix) local food producers; and (x) careers in the food system including in the fields of
35farming, fishing, processing, engineering, transportation, public health, and hunger alleviation.
36 (b) A school district, charter school, approved private day or residential school or
37collaborative school may incorporate the food literacy standards established pursuant to section
381D and subsection (a) into existing curriculum including, but not limited to, mathematics,
39science, or history and social sciences.
40 (c) The department shall make resources, including high quality lessons and curricula,
41available to school districts, charter schools, approved private day or residential schools and
42collaborative schools to assist in the selection of materials and curriculum on food literacy. The
43department shall identify and offer information on resources for professional development
44activities and instruction on food literacy. The department may consult with private or non-profit
45experts in the fields of nutrition, agriculture, food systems, food security, or other related fields.
46 (d) The department may expend funds from the Food Literacy Trust Fund established
47pursuant to section 35TTT of chapter 10, to implement this section.
48 (e) There shall annually be a review by the department relative to the implementation of
49food literacy standards, including a study of food literacy programs offered in the commonwealth
50to students in kindergarten through grade 12. The commissioner shall consult with the office of
51the state treasurer to, subject to appropriation, convene a working group consisting of educators
52experienced in teaching curriculum related to food literacy and any individuals or organizations 4 of 4
53the department deems relevant with expertise in food systems, including, but not limited to,
54nutrition, farming, fishing, culinary arts, food justice and food career opportunities. The review
55shall include a report on best practices and recommended improvements to food literacy
56standards. The report shall be submitted to the clerks of the house of representatives and the
57senate and the joint committee on education.