USDA releases final rule on school lunches
Friday, April 26, 2024
- On April 25, 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a final rule updating long-term school nutrition requirements. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. The final rule set the first-ever cap on added sugar in school meals, but removed proposed limits on sodium, milk and refined grains that some public commenters said were unrealistic.
- Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, the Department of Agriculture will require schools to limit the amount of sugar in breakfast cereals to no more than 6 grams per dry ounce, limit the amount of sugar in yogurt to no more than 2 grams per dry ounce, and limit the amount of sugar in flavored Require that the amount of sugar in milk be reduced to zero. More than 10 grams per 8 ounces and not more than 15 grams per 12 ounces when sold as a competitive food in middle and high schools. Food sold in schools outside of the school lunch program is considered competitive food. Further changes to the limit on sugar in school meals will be made during the 2027-2028 school year, reaching less than 10% of weekly calories.
- The final rule would not restrict grain-based desserts at breakfast as proposed last year. However, the USDA says it “expects schools to select grains with lower amounts of added sugar to meet the weekly limit on added sugars for breakfast.”
- The final rule allows schools to continue offering flavored milk. In the proposed regulations, the USDA proposed banning flavored milk for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, but officials said some children would not drink unflavored milk, leading to increased food waste and reduced milk consumption. They voiced concern that this could lead to a decline in the number of people.
- Additionally, the USDA decided to scale back and postpone the proposed school lunch sodium reduction goals in the final rule. Schools are currently required to reduce sodium by 15% in lunches and 10% in breakfasts from current levels by the 2027-2028 school year, with amounts varying by grade and meal. Initially, the USDA proposed that schools reduce salt intake by 10% each year from the 2025-2026 school year through the 2029-2030 school year. The USDA explained that it intends to give schools more time to meet their reduction goals, as it typically takes manufacturers about three years to reformulate their products.
- Finally, the USDA withdrew an earlier proposal to require all but one serving of grain per week to be whole grains served in schools. Instead, the final rule maintains the current standard, which requires 80% of the weekly grains served in school meals to be rich in whole grains. This is defined as “the grain content of the product is between 50 and 100% whole grains, with the remaining grains being fortified.” ”
