What does USDA’s new nutrition rule mean for school meals?

Alexina Cather is the director of policy and special projects for Wellness in the Schools, a national nonprofit that promotes healthy eating and fitness for kids in public schools.

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a new nutrition rule aiming to improve school meals. The rule builds upon the efforts of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA), which Michelle Obama championed as first lady, to improve school nutrition. That law was met with criticism, followed by attempts to roll back nutrition standards under the Trump administration and a relaxation of certain provisions by President Biden during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The role of school meals in child nutrition

The USDA’s National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) are fundamental federal nutrition assistance programs that provide low-cost or free meals and snacks to children in public and nonprofit private schools and residential childcare institutions. School meals are one of the healthiest food sources for many of the 29 million children participating in the NSLP, some of whom rely on school meals for more than half of their food intake. In 2023, school lunch and breakfast programs cost the federal government about $21 billion.

Since the Obama administration, continued efforts have been made to improve the nutritional profile of school meals to combat rising childhood obesity rates and nutrition insecurity. This new rule marks the next phase in this ongoing journey. In 2010, the HHFKA significantly improved school food and other child nutrition programs, by increasing whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and decreasing saturated fat and sodium to align with the 2010 version of USDA and U.S. Health and Human Services’ Dietary Guidelines. The act also required each local education agency participating in the NSLB and SBP to develop a local school wellness policy that promotes students’ health, well-being and ability to learn. Additionally, the HHFKA gave more funding to free and reduced-cost meals; gave additional funding to schools that met the updated required nutritional standards; and helped communities establish local farm-to-school networks and create school gardens, encouraging school districts to use more local foods in their cafeterias, a win for health as well as local farmers.

When the HHFKA became law in 2010, it had overwhelming support from Congress. A generation raised on Pizza Hut, Lunchables and microwave meals meant the average weight of children had increased significantly since 1980; 1 in 3 American children were now overweight or obese and rates of Type 2 diabetes and other diet-related diseases were increasing. However, when it came time to nail down specific rules and how they would impact certain players, the war against obesity and obesity-related illnesses turned into a war against former first lady Michelle Obama and others who had supported and championed the HHFKA.

Key highlights of the rule

One of the most significant aspects of the rule is the establishment of limits on added sugars in school meals — the first limit of its kind, based on newer research about added sugar’s contribution to poor health outcomes like Type 2 diabetes as well as negative school behaviors and lower test scores. Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, breakfast cereals, yogurt and flavored milk will be subject to strict added sugar limits, meaning many manufacturers will have to make changes to products that are presently sold to schools. By the 2027-28 school year, cafeterias will be required to limit added sugars to fewer than 10 percent of calories across the week.

An interesting counterpoint on the inclusion of added sugars in the new rule came from a trade group, the Sugar Association, during deliberations about the rule. The group supported limits on added sugars but called applying limits to individual products like flavored dairy products “arbitrary,” cautioning that the new standards could inadvertently lead to increased use of artificial sweeteners. These additives are not addressed in the new rule but have their own health ramifications, highlighting a potentially significant oversight by the USDA.

Under the new rule, schools will now have more flexibility on many fronts. School meals can offer a wider range of meats and meat alternatives than previously allowed, including beans, yogurt, peas, lentils, eggs and tofu. Additionally, the previous grain requirement for schools is now more flexible and can be achieved with a combination of grains and protein, allowing for more diverse and nutritious choices for students.

Schools will be given more flexibility than before to substitute vegetables for fruits at breakfast. This will allow schools to serve more vegetables, which are generally lower in sugar and calories, and contain more vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients than fruits.

Where the rule falls short

Under the new rule, schools have the flexibility to include more vegetables and meat alternatives. However, even better would have been requiring schools to include more vegetables and meat alternatives a certain number of meals per week. Making this change could lead to an increase in vegetable consumption and expose kids to more vegetables and meat alternatives in a school setting, a move that could lead to improved health outcomes and nutrition over the course of their lives. Research shows that it can take a child at least ten times to try a new food before they like it — an equity issue and an opportunity. For many children, school food is an occasion to try new things they don’t have the luxury of trying at home.

Despite many public health and nutrition advocates’ desire to eliminate flavored milk from school-provided meals, the USDA will continue to offer flavored fat-free and low-fat milk to students. However, as stated earlier, the new rule will introduce a limit on added sugar in flavored milk.

The new rule will require a 15 percent sodium reduction for lunch and a 10 percent reduction for breakfast by the 2027-28 school year. These changes will reduce student sodium consumption, which is linked to high blood pressure and heart disease, but does not do enough to align with the latest dietary guidelines. Furthermore, the rule maintains current sodium limits for the next three school years before gradually reducing sodium content — meaning the full impact of the change won’t be felt until many of today’s kids are out of school.

Top photo by Michael Chamberlin/Adobe Stock.