A new law will allow Texas school districts to store and distribute leftover food from the cafeteria.
As The Texas Tribune reports,the law is part of an effort to combat wastefulness in Texas schools. Cafeterias will be able to create food pantries for unused food, as long as they follow state and local health codes. The bill allowing the food pantries was created by Democratic State Sen. Borris Miles, and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in June.
In 2011, the federal government passed a law allowing school districts to donate leftover food to nonprofits. But that law only went part of the way toward solving the problem of mass wastefulness in American public school cafeterias. Officials hope this new law will add another important piece to the puzzle.
Most of the stored food will consist of unopened, prepackaged beverages or nonperishable items, as well as whole fruit and vegetables.