STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3171

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 84

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 84 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE HAWAII PUBLIC SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE TO DEVELOP NUTRITIONALLY-SOUND PUBLIC SCHOOL MENU PLANS THAT INCLUDE VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN MEALS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Education to offer nutritionally-sound public school lunch menus that include vegetarian and vegan meals.

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Hawaii Medical Service Association, and thirty individuals.  Testimony in opposition to the measure was submitted by the Department of Education and the Department of Health.

     Your Committee finds that children, in particular, require nutritionally-balanced diets to promote and support healthy lifestyles.  Increasingly, more individuals, including children, are adopting vegetarian or vegan lifestyles, which are not currently supported by the food services of the public schools.  This measure requests the Department of Education to develop nutritionally-sound school lunch menus that also include vegetarian and vegan meals.  Your Committee determines that providing our students with healthy, nutritionally-sound menu options will offer vegetarian and vegan students appropriate meals and provide all students with nutritious and well-balanced lunches while in school.

     However, concerns were raised, among other things, regarding the fact that the task of developing a plan for providing vegetarian or vegan meals in all public schools is too daunting a proposition for the Department of Education.  Your Committee understands that this request may be overwhelming at this time, but believes that all efforts to increase awareness and availability of nutritionally-sound public school meals that include vegetarian and vegan options in at least some capacity are beneficial to our students and the State.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the provision that requested the Department of Education to develop a plan to provide vegetarian and vegan meals that are nutritious and balanced and available to students in all public schools;

     (2)  Requesting that the Department of Education conduct training and workshops for cafeteria managers and workers to increase awareness of the benefits of and options for providing vegetarian and vegan meals that are nutritious and balanced to students in public schools;

     (3)  Requesting the Department of Education to post on its website a list of schools with vegetarian and vegan menu options;

     (4)  Deleting the request that the Department of Education post vegetarian and vegan recipes and menus that meet USDA requirements to facilitate the development of vegetarian and vegan options for students in Hawaii;

     (5)  Requesting the Department of Education to consider rather than develop nutritionally-sound public school menu plans that include vegetarian and vegan public school meals; and

     (6)  Specifying that the Department of Education report to the Legislature on action undertaken pursuant to the measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 84, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 84, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair