This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to reform the Restaurant Meals Program by establishing stricter criteria for participating establishments, requiring them to be retail food stores with prepared food sections, hot bars, or deli counters, and explicitly excluding quick-service or fast-food establishments. The legislation also defines specific requirements for eligible meals , mandating they be intended for immediate consumption and contain at least one fruit or vegetable and one protein. A significant change is the introduction of a spousal exclusion , making spouses of SNAP-eligible individuals ineligible for the program. To streamline administration, the bill allows retail food stores already authorized for SNAP to participate without separate authorization, while requiring EBT system updates to restrict benefit redemption. Finally, it enhances program transparency by expanding reporting requirements to Congress and making detailed information on participating establishments, benefit redemption, and program costs publicly available.
This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to reform the Restaurant Meals Program by establishing stricter criteria for participating establishments, requiring them to be retail food stores with prepared food sections, hot bars, or deli counters, and explicitly excluding quick-service or fast-food establishments. The legislation also defines specific requirements for eligible meals , mandating they be intended for immediate consumption and contain at least one fruit or vegetable and one protein. A significant change is the introduction of a spousal exclusion , making spouses of SNAP-eligible individuals ineligible for the program. To streamline administration, the bill allows retail food stores already authorized for SNAP to participate without separate authorization, while requiring EBT system updates to restrict benefit redemption. Finally, it enhances program transparency by expanding reporting requirements to Congress and making detailed information on participating establishments, benefit redemption, and program costs publicly available.