House File 212 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 212 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 5) A BILL FOR An Act relating to meals, food, and beverages provided to 1 students enrolled in school districts, charter schools, 2 and innovation zone schools, and including applicability 3 provisions. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 1360HV (2) 91 jda/jh

H.F. 212 Section 1. Section 256E.7, subsection 2, Code 2025, is 1 amended by adding the following new paragraph: 2 NEW PARAGRAPH . 0t. Be subject to and comply with the 3 requirements of section 283A.6 relating to the preparation of 4 meals provided to students, and prohibited ingredients in meals 5 provided to students, in the same manner as a school district, 6 if the charter school provides a breakfast or lunch program. 7 Sec. 2. Section 256F.4, subsection 2, Code 2025, is amended 8 by adding the following new paragraph: 9 NEW PARAGRAPH . r. Be subject to and comply with the 10 requirements of section 283A.6 relating to the preparation of 11 meals provided to students, and prohibited ingredients in meals 12 provided to students, in the same manner as a school district, 13 if the charter school or innovation zone school provides a 14 breakfast or lunch program. 15 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION . 283A.6 School district breakfast and 16 lunch programs —— food and beverages provided to students —— 17 prohibited ingredients. 18 1. As used in this section: 19 a. “Margarine” means any food product that is a substitute 20 for butter and that is made with fats or oils that are not 21 natural fats and oils, including products labeled as margarine, 22 spread, or oleomargarine. 23 b. “Natural fats and oils” means butter, beef tallow, lard, 24 coconut oil, avocado oil, and olive oil. 25 2. When necessary, a school district shall use natural fats 26 and oils to prepare meals to be served to students as part of 27 the school district’s breakfast or lunch program. A school 28 district shall not use margarine to prepare a meal to be served 29 to students as part of the school district’s breakfast or lunch 30 program. 31 3. A school district shall not serve a meal to students as 32 part of the school district’s breakfast or lunch program that 33 contains any of the following ingredients: 34 a. Blue dye 1. 35 -1- LSB 1360HV (2) 91 jda/jh 1/ 3

H.F. 212 b. Blue dye 2. 1 c. Brominated vegetable oil. 2 d. Green dye 3. 3 e. Margarine. 4 f. Potassium bromate. 5 g. Propylparaben. 6 h. Red dye 3. 7 i. Red dye 40. 8 j. Yellow dye 5. 9 k. Yellow dye 6. 10 4. An employee of a school district shall not provide 11 any food or beverages that contain an ingredient described 12 in subsection 3 to a student enrolled in the school district 13 during the school day. 14 5. A school district shall not permit the sale of any 15 beverages that contain an ingredient described in subsection 3 16 during a school function or school-sponsored activity unless 17 any of the following applies: 18 a. The sale does not take place on school district property. 19 b. The sale takes place at least thirty minutes after the 20 end of the school day. 21 Sec. 4. APPLICABILITY. This Act applies to school years 22 beginning on or after July 1, 2027. 23 EXPLANATION 24 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 25 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 26 This bill relates to meals, food, and beverages provided to 27 students enrolled in school districts, charter schools, and 28 innovation zone schools. 29 The bill provides that, when necessary, school districts, 30 charter schools, and innovation zone schools are required to 31 use natural fats and oils to prepare meals to be served to 32 students as part of the school’s breakfast or lunch program. 33 The bill prohibits schools from using margarine to prepare a 34 meal to be served to students as part of the school district’s 35 -2- LSB 1360HV (2) 91 jda/jh 2/ 3

H.F. 212 breakfast or lunch program. The bill defines “margarine” as 1 any food product that is a substitute for butter and that is 2 made with fats or oils that are not natural fats and oils. The 3 bill defines “natural fats and oils” as butter, beef tallow, 4 lard, coconut oil, avocado oil, and olive oil. 5 The bill prohibits school districts, charter schools, and 6 innovation zone schools from serving meals to students as part 7 of the school’s breakfast or lunch program that contain blue 8 dye 1, blue dye 2, brominated vegetable oil, green dye 3, 9 margarine, potassium bromate, propylparaben, red dye 3, red dye 10 40, yellow dye 5, or yellow dye 6. The bill also prohibits 11 schools from permitting the sale of any beverages that contain 12 such ingredients during a school function or school-sponsored 13 activity unless the sale does not take place on school district 14 property or unless the sale takes place at least 30 minutes 15 after the end of the school day. 16 The bill applies to school years beginning on or after July 17 1, 2027. 18 -3- LSB 1360HV (2) 91 jda/jh 3/ 3