Antibiotics.

The Pupil Nutrition, Health, and Achievement Act of 2001 requires a school to follow the Enhanced Food Based Meal Pattern, Nutrient Standard Meal Planning, or Traditional Meal Pattern developed by the United States Department of Agriculture or the Shaping Health as Partners in Education (SHAPE) Menu Patterns developed by the state in order to qualify for reimbursement for free and reduced-price meals sold or served to pupils. The act additionally prescribes nutrition standards for snacks sold to pupils in middle, junior, or high school with certain exceptions, and prohibits the sale of certain beverages to a pupil at an elementary school, except as specified. Existing law, commencing July 1, 2009, prohibits schools from making available to pupils food containing artificial trans fat, as specified. This bill would authorize a school district to make every effort to purchase poultry and meat products that have not been treated with nontherapeutic antibiotics, and authorize each school district that purchases such poultry or meat products to report annually to the Superintendent of Public Instruction certain information relating to those products. The bill would require the Superintendent to request information from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) relating to the use of nontherapeutic antibiotics in meat available to California schools through certain USDA programs. The bill would require the Superintendent, by July 1, 2011, to provide the Legislature with a copy of any information provided by the USDA.