H.R. 5867 — Plant-Powered School Meals Pilot Act

This section establishes a pilot grant program under the National School Lunch Act to award competitive three-year grants of diverse amounts to eligible school food authorities (i.e., those serving schools where 50% or more students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch or breakfast) for training food service personnel, providing compensation, offering technical assistance and student education, and procuring 100 percent plant-based food options (i.e., meat alternates without animal products or byproducts) from underserved, limited-resource, organic, or local producers. In awarding grants, the Secretary of Agriculture must prioritize applicants serving high proportions of free or reduced-price eligible students, collaborating with community partners, incorporating plant-based education and organic options, and meeting other criteria; grantees must submit applications with evaluation and culturally appropriate meal plans, maintain records, and provide annual reports on meals served, students reached, and fund uses, with the Secretary submitting annual summaries to Congress and providing technical assistance on best practices. The section authorizes $10 million for FY2026, to remain available through FY2030.

This section revises food substitution requirements under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which reimburses schools for providing nutritionally balanced lunches to over 30 million children annually, to accommodate medical, disability-related, religiously based, and other special dietary needs. Specifically, the section (1) clarifies that NSLP meal requirements do not prohibit nutritionally equivalent food substitutions for such needs and requires substituted foods to comply with USDA meal patterns (replacing prior permission for lower-fat versions of common foods); and (2) codifies fluid milk substitutions as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act for students with diet-restricting disabilities, while establishing new standards for other nondairy beverage substitutions—including required substitutions for medical/special dietary needs or upon written parental request (nutritionally equivalent to milk and meeting USDA standards), discretionary offerings, and school payment of excess costs. Additionally, the section directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish, within 90 days of enactment, a three-year pilot grant program to reimburse eligible school food authorities (SFAs)—those serving at least 50% free- or reduced-price eligible students—for the full cost of nondairy milk substitutes under the required medical/special dietary provision, prioritizing SFAs with high lactose intolerance rates or demonstrated need and authorizing $2 million for FY2026; participating SFAs must submit annual and final reports (comparing pre- and post-grant substitution volumes), with the Secretary reporting to Congress within six months of program sunset.