Ciresi serves up legislation for fresher school lunches
Rep. Joseph Ciresi September 30, 2025 | 10:16 AM
HARRISBURG, Sept. 30 – State Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, on Monday introduced legislation, H.B. 1890, to create a pilot program to use scratch cooking in Pennsylvania public schools.
The pilot program would have school cafeteria staff employ scratch cooking practices, which uses raw, whole ingredients, instead of pre-packaged or ultra-processed food, as the basis of school meals.
“Scratch cooking offers our schools the chance to bring real food back to the lunch table,” Ciresi said.
This pilot program would:
- Provide competitive grants to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) ready to expand or transition to scratch cooking in their cafeterias.
- Invest in training for food service staff and necessary cafeteria improvements.
- Gather data on costs, student participation, nutrition outcomes, and operational feasibility to guide future expansion.
“At a time when obesity is rising across the country thanks in part to a national diet relying on ultra-processed foods, I consider teaching our kids the benefits of eating fresh food and encouraging the development of healthy eating habits as a fundamental part of the educational project here in Pennsylvania,” Ciresi said.
Ciresi pointed to a 2024 study, the largest-ever review of studies about the dangers of diets high in ultra-processed foods, which linked them with increased risks for premature death, cardiovascular disease, mental health disorders, diabetes, obesity, and sleep problems.
Ultra-processed foods are ready-to-eat products such as deli meat, microwaveable dinners, or chips. They usually have long ingredients lists, with lots of additives such as preservatives, oil, sugar, salt, coloring, and flavoring.
“The vision behind the pilot program is simple: give schools the resources and flexibility they need to serve meals that are fresh, nourishing and made with care, while evaluating how scratch cooking can be scaled into a sustainable model for school nutrition across the commonwealth,” Ciresi said.
Ciresi said that the pilot program would also benefit the commonwealth’s agricultural industry as the schools would rely on Pennsylvania produce for their meals.
“This initiative would be a big win for Pennsylvania, as it would put healthier meals on students’ plates, support the commonwealth’s farmers, and strengthen our school meal programs,” Ciresi said.