CNAC Minutes for the January 14, 2026 Meeting

Council Members

Kim Frinzell – Director Nutrition Services Division (NSD), California Department of Education (CDE)
Ronald Little – School Administration
Maryam Shayegh – Consultant
Meggan Arnoux – Food Program member
Carrie Buck – School Board
Amber Green – Nutrition Education Specialist
Anne Wilson – School Food Services Supervisor
Yaz Widatalla – School Nutrition Services Director (new)
Kayvon Banankhah – Student Representative
Marilyn Anderson – Lay Member

Guests

Jackie Richardson, Associate Director, CDE
Reema El-Murr, Nutrition Education Administrator, CDE
Andrea Bricker, Nutrition Education Consultant, CDE
Nina Ortiz, Office Technician, CDE
Public Participants: Melissa Cook-Rodriguez and Tami MacDonald

Administrative Activities (facilitated by Kim Frinzell)

• Meeting called to order at 9:32 a.m.
  
  
• Brief overview of agenda and roll call
  
  
• New members, re-elected members – oath administered
  
  
• Carrie introduced as Chair.
  
  
• Facilitated by Carrie (Chair)
  
  
  • Meeting Agenda January 2026: Motion to approve CNAC agenda. Seconded. Agenda approved.
    
    
  • Previous Meeting Minutes – October 2025: Motion to approve meeting minutes. Seconded. Minutes approved.
    
    
• Facilitated by Andrea
  
  
  • Forms and Training Reminders: Complete Form 700, Defensive Driver Training, and Ethics Training.
    

Request for Public Comment

No public comment.

Agenda Items

Item 1: CNAC Member Roles & Responsibilities (facilitated by Jackie Richardson)

• Review of CNAC Bylaws
  
  
• Follow Roberts Rules of Order
  
  
• Overview of the Bagley-Keene Act
  

Item 2: Legislative/Bill Updates (facilitated by Kim Frinzell)

• Federal Updates:
  
  
  • Government shutdown as of October 1, 2025
    
    
  • Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026 signed November 12, 2025
    
    
  • New 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans was released on January 7, 2026.
    
    
  • Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 - approved and moved to the president for signature. Note: at 2:12 p.m. Kim amended the announcement and noted that the President signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids.
    
    
• State Updates:
  
  
  • Governor’s proposed budget was released; items of interest include Kitchen Infrastructure and Training (KIT) 2026 and Universal Meals
    
    
• Current Grant Opportunities:
  •  State Funding:
    • 2025 KIT and Retention & Recruitment Grant-applications due January 30, 2026.
      
      
    • School Breakfast Program and Summer Meals Program Start-up and Expansion Grant-applications are due Friday, February 13, 2026.
      
      
  • Federal Funding: Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)-applications are due Friday, February 6, 2026.
    
    
  • March is National Nutrition Month and National School Breakfast Week is March 2-6, 2026

Item 3: CNAC Priority Areas (Carrie Buck)

• Adequate Time to Eat (ATE) Subcommittee Members: Maryam Shayegh, Ronald Little, Carrie Buck
  
  
  • Discussed the ATE infographic developed for districts to implement strategies that support ATE.
    
    
  • Next step to engage with partners via a statewide survey to explore the possibility of incorporating ATE into local school wellness policy template language.
    
    
• Ultra Processed Foods (UPF) Subcommittee Members: Amber Green, Anne Wilson, Yaz Widatalla
  
  
  • Discussed goal of developing a handout for school food service procurement personnel; the material would focus on identifying key ingredients, such as food dyes, and providing alternatives.
    
    
• New members selected their priority subcommittee areas:
  
  
  • Meggan Arnoux to ATE, Marilyn Anderson to UPF
    
    
• Members breaking out to their groups until lunch break
  

Break: Lunch

Began – 12:15 p.m.

Item 3: CNAC Priority Areas (continued)

Subcommittee Reports

• ATE: Drafted the survey and requested feedback. Discussed options to distribute the survey. Discussed the possibility of a toolkit to further support this initiative. Discussed interest in inviting the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to attend a future CNAC meeting and share the ATE work.
  
  
• UPF: Shared sample of existing handouts related to food dyes for reference. Bulk of the infographic is done.

Request for Public Comment

No public comment.

Item 4: Propose Agenda Items and Schedule Next Meeting

• Agenda items for next meeting
  • Continue the subcommittee workgroups.
    
    
  • Follow up on the ATE survey.
    
    
  • Check-in with the California Department of Public Health regarding the progress of UPFs of concern, restricted foods, and UPF definition.
    
    
  • Discuss implications of the new Dietary Guidelines regarding existing nutrition education resources and plans to address updating existing resources.

Next Meeting Dates

• Month of May was selected for next meeting.
  
  
• Members will be polled for a date selection

Request for Public Comment - Final Request

No public comment.

Adjourn

Motion to end the meeting. Seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 2:47 p.m.

Key Terms and Acronyms:

CNAC – Child Nutrition Advisory Council

AB – Assembly Bill

SB – Senate Bill

SBE – State Board of Education

UPF – Ultra Processed Foods

CDE – California Dept. of Education

CNP – Child Nutrition Programs

ATE – Adequate Time to Eat

NSD – Nutrition Services Division

USDA – U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

Chair – Chair of the CNAC

VC – Vice chair for the CNAC

Dir – Director

CA – California

NSLW – National School Lunch Week