WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

SD 1235

An Act relative to food literacy

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Jo Comerford and 4 co-sponsors

Creates a Food Literacy Trust Fund and standards to embed food literacy in MA K-12 curricula, funding programs, training, and equity-focused nutrition and career pathways.

House concurred
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SD 1235

Summary: An Act relative to food literacy (Senate Docket No. 1235)

Overview

An Act relative to food literacy seeks to establish a dedicated funding mechanism and set of educational standards to promote food literacy in Massachusetts schools. The bill would create a Food Literacy Trust Fund and require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to support and integrate food literacy across K–12 curricula, with a focus on nutrition, food systems, equity, and career pathways in the food sector.

Key Provisions

  • Food Literacy Trust Fund (Section 35TTT, Chapter 10).

    • Establishes a separate expendable trust fund to finance food literacy programs in school districts, charter schools, approved private day or residential schools, and collaborative schools.
    • Fund sources include: targeted appropriations, gifts/grants, federal reimbursements/grants, and earned interest.
    • The fund is expendable and not subject to annual appropriation or allotment; the State Treasurer is custodian and must invest for safety and return.
    • Annual audit by the State Auditor; DESE must report annually on income, expenditures, and balance.
    • End-of-year fund balance carries over and does not revert to the General Fund; funds are not governed by Section 5C of Chapter 29.

  • Amendment to Chapter 69 (Education) – Section 1D and new Section 1U.

    • Adds the term “food literacy” to the list of consumer skills.
    • Establishes a formal framework for food literacy standards and implementation (Section 1U):
    • (a) Standards cover: nutrition and personal health; culinary skills and menu planning; food production (farming, fishing, processing); connections between food systems and the environment; hunger and alleviation efforts; racial and other inequities in access to food and jobs; food justice; cultural connections to food; local food producers; and careers in the food system (including farming, fishing, processing, engineering, transportation, public health, hunger relief).
    • (b) Schools may integrate food literacy standards into existing curricula (math, science, history/social sciences).
    • (c) DESE to provide high-quality resources, curricula, professional development information, and may consult private/non-profit experts.
    • (d) DESE may expend funds from the Food Literacy Trust Fund to implement these provisions.
    • (e) An annual department review of implementation, including a study of K–12 food literacy programs; a working group (with educators and experts in nutrition, agriculture, food systems, etc.) will prepare a report with best practices and improvements, submitted to the clerks of the House and Senate and the Joint Committee on Education.

Who Is Affected

  • Students in kindergarten through grade 12 across Massachusetts (including those in traditional districts, charter schools, approved private day or residential schools, and collaborative schools).
  • School districts and educators responsible for curriculum and instruction.
  • DESE and the state-level budget and auditing offices (State Treasurer, State Auditor).
  • Private and nonprofit sectors may contribute through gifts/grants and provide expertise.

Procedural and Timeline Details

  • Introduced: February 27, 2025.
  • Legislative Actions: Referred to the Senate Committee on Education; status shows House concurred.
  • Related History: Similar measure previously filed as Senate No. 2588 in the 2023–2024 session.

Potential Impact

  • Establishes stable, non-appropriation-funded resources to expand food literacy programs.
  • Creates a formal, standards-based approach to teaching about food systems, nutrition, equity, and careers.
  • Encourages cross-curricular integration and educator professional development.
  • Aims to address hunger, food justice, and workforce opportunities within the Commonwealth’s education system.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.