American Food for American Schools Act of 2026
The source supplies the latest action, but no lifecycle stage.
Latest action (30 Jul 2026): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
What this bill does
S. 5174, the "American Food for American Schools Act of 2026," would tighten and clarify the existing "Buy American" requirements for school meal programs under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. It redefines "domestic commodity or product" to specify standards for agricultural goods, processed foods, and fish or seafood, and extends the domestic-purchasing requirement beyond school lunch and breakfast to also cover snacks, the summer food service program, child and adult care food program, and special milk program. School food authorities would generally be required to obtain a waiver before buying foreign food products, with limited exceptions when domestic products aren't sufficiently available, and waivers would be capped at 5% of annual food costs per meal component. The bill also requires public notice to parents, USDA publication of waiver and noncompliance lists, and new reporting between school food authorities, state agencies, and USDA. Supplier contracts must include Buy American compliance provisions, with penalties for noncompliant suppliers.
This affects school food authorities, food suppliers, state educational agencies, USDA, and indirectly parents and students, by increasing transparency and accountability around the origin of school food purchases and clarifying which situations allow foreign purchases without formal waivers.
The bill was introduced on July 30, 2026, by Senator Tim Sheehy with co-sponsor Senator Schiff, and referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. It has not yet received committee action, and would need to pass the Senate, the House, and be signed into law before taking effect.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Timeline
30 Jul 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Common questions
- What does S. 5174 do?
- S. 5174, the "American Food for American Schools Act of 2026," would tighten and clarify the existing "Buy American" requirements for school meal programs under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. It redefines "domestic commodity or product" to specify standards for agricultural goods, processed foods, and fish or seafood, and extends the domestic-purchasing requirement beyond school lunch and breakfast to also cover snacks, the summer food service program, child and adult care food program, and special milk program. School food authorities would generally be required to obtain a waiver before buying foreign food products, with limited exceptions when domestic products aren't sufficiently available, and waivers would be capped at 5% of annual food costs per meal component. The bill also requires public notice to parents, USDA publication of waiver and noncompliance lists, and new reporting between school food authorities, state agencies, and USDA. Supplier contracts must include Buy American compliance provisions, with penalties for noncompliant suppliers. This affects school food authorities, food suppliers, state educational agencies, USDA, and indirectly parents and students, by increasing transparency and accountability around the origin of school food purchases and clarifying which situations allow foreign purchases without formal waivers. The bill was introduced on July 30, 2026, by Senator Tim Sheehy with co-sponsor Senator Schiff, and referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. It has not yet received committee action, and would need to pass the Senate, the House, and be signed into law before taking effect.
- Has S. 5174 become law?
- The source does not supply a confirmed lifecycle stage for S. 5174. Check the latest action and official source below.
- Who sponsored S. 5174?
- S. 5174 was sponsored by Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), with 1 cosponsor.
- What's the latest action on S. 5174?
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (30 Jul 2026).
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