This webinar shows interactive approaches used by the Maryland State Department of Education and the Texas Department of Agriculture to actively engage participants during in-person CACFP trainings.

The Menu Planner for School Meals is a technical resource that is designed to help school nutrition professionals plan, prepare, provide, and market great tasting, nutritious, and safe meals that meet the nutrition standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs as well as the Child Nutrition Programs: Transitional Standards for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium Final Rule that was published in February 2022. The content covers information on the following topics: nutrition, food safety, Farm to School, USDA Foods, seasonal foods, marketing and the administrative review. The resource consists of seven chapters designed to stand on their own in addition to the introduction, quiz answer key, glossary and appendixes sections.

Availability

This resource is available for schools and state agencies that participate in or administer the school meals programs. All are welcome to download these materials and make copies. To download the file, please right-click on the link and select "save link as."

The Menu Planner includes an introduction, seven chapters, an answer key, a glossary of terms, and appendixes.

 

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2022 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced an increase in funding to help schools continue to serve kids healthy meals this coming school year and provide financial relief for schools and child care providers. Effective July 1, 2022, the reimbursement schools receive for each meal served will increase by approximately $0.68 per free/reduced-price lunch and $0.32 per free/reduced price breakfast. Other reimbursement rates, including rates for paid school meals and child care meals, are available online.

The action will provide support for schools and child care providers dealing with rising food costs, and is part of the Biden Administration’s work to lower costs and provide American families some additional breathing room.

This increase includes both a required annual adjustment in reimbursement rates to reflect the cost of food and an extra temporary per-meal boost in reimbursements from the recent Keep Kids Fed Act. Combined, this will pump an estimated $4.3 billion more into school meal and child care meal programs across the nation this school year, in addition to the nearly $2 billion in additional funding USDA has already provided.

State-by-state breakdown of support for child nutrition program operators

“The boost in reimbursements will help provide financial relief for schools so they can continue serving high-quality meals to students amid higher food costs and persistent supply chain challenges,” said Stacy Dean, deputy under secretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services. “USDA is fully committed to using every resource in its toolbelt to ensure kids get the healthy meals they need to grow, learn, and thrive.”

Today’s announcement is part of USDA’s commitment to ensuring the school meal programs are strong and supported so they can successfully navigate current challenges and support more American families. Additional actions USDA has taken include:

• Providing an additional nearly $2 billion for schools to buy domestic food for their meal programs.
• Offering a suite of operational waivers that give states and schools flexibility to adapt to their on-the-ground circumstances such as through grab-and-go or parent-pickup of meals.
• Ensuring states continue to receive stable funding for USDA Foods for the coming school year – comparable to last school year – for purchasing 100% American-grown foods for their school meal programs.
• Ensuring schools are not penalized if they cannot meet meal standards due to supply chain issues.
• Awarding up to $200 million to states to purchase domestic local foods for distribution to schools, through the new Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program.
• Extending deadlines for districts to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows schools serving many high-need students to provide all meals for free without collecting applications from families.

USDA Support for School Meals: Infographic

USDA is also providing ongoing support for other child nutrition programs that work in tandem with the school meal programs to give kids a strong, healthy start. For example, USDA:

• Approved 32 states and territories to date to provide food benefits for the summer months (Summer P-EBT) to eligible children. USDA is actively working with all states to help them offer these benefits to children.
• Extended nationwide flexibilities to summer meal programs through September 2022, which allows sites to continue serving meals in all areas, at no cost to families.
• Provided all family day care homes with the higher temporary reimbursement rate for the Child and Adult Care Food Program school year 2022-23.

For information on the child nutrition programs for school year 2022-2023, visit: Child Nutrition Flexibilities for Summer 2022 and School Year 2022-23

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, lowering costs for American families, creating fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Every year, students in Houston County get excited for one of Georgia’s biggest annual events held right in their backyard – the Georgia National Fair. Many students and families in this agricultural community actively participate by showing farm animals, volunteering at booths, and attending the event. But when a school nutrition program chooses to celebrate the fair, of course, the focus is on the food and fun! Menus districtwide are overhauled to include food items mimicking fair foods. Each school gets into the spirit as well, going all out on decorations, having staff and students dress up in costumes and themed shirts, and providing games and other opportunities for kids to get involved. The community loves the connection to the fair and families are very engaged, helping to build strong relationships across the district and getting everyone excited about school meals.

The fair promotion is just one example of the Houston County School Nutrition Program’s dedication to their unique population. Although Houston County can, at times, see fluctuations in student numbers due to nearby Robins Air Force Base, the commitment to serving every student fresh and appealing food at school is unwavering. Taking advantage of USDA funds to participate in the DOD Fresh program, Houston County school nutrition professionals focus on scratch cooking and exposing their students to a wide variety of fresh fruits and veggies. They see their role as more than feeding kids – they go above and beyond to help them develop lifelong healthy eating habits. Parents love knowing their kids are getting great food at school, and students are excited by the delicious meals they receive.

Variety is not lacking on the menu, either. Shifts in market trends and supply chains during COVID changed the food landscape, but with creative thinking and support from the community, school nutrition professionals continue to offer attractive, diverse options. While the pandemic caused significant challenges, the crisis created an opportunity to innovate with parents and members of the community on ways to continue serving children and families.

Menu planning for next school year is already underway. School nutrition professionals are putting time and effort into assessing what the kids are eating, and what needs to be taken off menus. Staff sample new items before they are put on the menu, so they know how the items are supposed to taste and look. If the district is placing a less familiar item on the menu, they pilot test it to gauge whether it is successful before making it a permanent menu item. The staff truly enjoy seeing students try new things and hearing student feedback about their experiences.

Houston County is committed to staff development as well. Potential managers are hired into the Assistant Manager Program to train under training managers at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. They rotate between the groups of training managers to learn as much as they can, including the nuances of all grade levels and operating some schools under the Community Eligibility Provision. Next, managers-in-training transition to one school kitchen to continue their learning. Once they are ready, they can oversee a school kitchen in a manager’s absence before applying for a promotion to manager. Spending time and effort training staff has led to increased student satisfaction and a more durable workforce with less turnover.

With a strong staff, commitment to students, and significant community support, the Houston County School District has positioned itself as a critical resource for students and families, with no signs of slowing down.

The New York City Department of Education’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services (OFNS) exists to equitably serve New York City’s students with healthy and delicious meals that enhance their educational experience, reflect their voices, and nourish them into adulthood. They acknowledge that tasty food without nutrition is detrimental to students’ well-being while healthy meals without taste repel students’ curious taste buds and limit participation.

OFNS has always championed initiatives both in-house and nationally that facilitate the development of the best tasting and most nutritious menu items for students everywhere. The office was a lead advocate for the Chefs Move to Schools program, which partnered chefs with school communities to spread awareness about how whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods can be delicious and fun to cook. OFNS has also promoted the Farm to School Program, which connects schools with local farms and food producers to stimulate fresh food exchange that varies by the season, local economic development, and healthy eating for students.

Plant Powered Fridays, launched by Mayor Eric Adams, is the latest New York Citywide initiative giving more than one million students a new outlook on meals centering fruits and vegetables. Every Friday since February 2022, New York City school cafeterias have featured a delicious plant-based dish, rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein, as the primary menu item. The beloved staff make many of these meals from scratch with freshly prepared ingredients.

Students are empowered to guide the future of New York City school food. Close to 1,900 students annually taste and approve dishes like the Big City Bean Taco before they are served in New York City’s 1,800 public schools. The initiative also encourages young learners to make healthy food choices for a lifetime by exposing them to nutritious meals prepared in different, flavorful ways and providing them with the recipes to make these meals at home.

Building on this groundbreaking initiative, Mayor Adams and Department of Education Chancellor David C. Banks launched the city’s first-ever Chefs Council in September 2022, in partnership with Wellness in the Schools. The council is developing over 100 scratch-cooked, plant-based, and culturally relevant recipes and providing hands-on training for OFNS chefs. OFNS added a brand-new Sweet Potato Gumbo dish, developed by the Rachael Ray-led council, to their Plant Powered Friday’s menu in February 2023.

Another way New York City encourages students to participate in the meals program is to offer culturally responsive menu options. New York City serves halal and kosher meals at schools across the city and adapts its menus to ensure students from all backgrounds can find items they know and love in the cafeteria. On any given day, you might find Caribbean Style Beef Patty, Chicken Dumplings, Turkey Quesadilla, or other items on our menus that reflect the cultural diversity of the city. All of these meals meet and exceed the highest nutrition standards from the USDA, with reduced levels of sodium, fat, and added sugar.

For decades, OFNS has realized they cannot innovate to serve students alone and has partnered with the USDA, health officials, policymakers, city agencies, academics, coalitions, sustainability organizations, health, education, and culinary nonprofits, staff, and students to ensure the tastiest and healthiest food is served on students’ plates. This has resulted in significant menu changes over the years, professional development opportunities for staff members, and advancements in food procurement and preparation that make culturally responsive and Plant Powered meals possible.

OFNS is thrilled to continue offering exciting options for students that is driven by their feedback.

Research shows that school meals are the most nutritious food source for American schoolchildren—thanks in large part to the work of school nutrition professionals, parents, school meal partners, the food industry, and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make school meals healthier over the past decade.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published the final rule titled, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which is the next step in continuing the science-based improvement of school meals and other USDA child nutrition programs (CNP), as well as advancing USDA’s commitment to nutrition security. The changes are based on a comprehensive review of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, robust stakeholder input on the CNP meal patterns, and lessons learned from prior rulemakings.

While this rulemaking is effective July 1, 2024, USDA is gradually phasing in required changes over time. Program operators are not required to make any changes to their menus as a result of this rulemaking until school year 2025-26 at the earliest.

Nutrition Standards

Click on the icons below for more information on the proposed nutrition standards provisions.

Added Sugars

Milk

Sodium

Whole Grains

A full description of all provisions is available for download. These provisions are designed to respond to stakeholder feedback and strengthen the school meal programs.

Additional Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is USDA updating the nutrition requirements for school meals?

Strengthening school meals is one of the best investments we can make in our children’s futures. USDA’s commitment to work with school meal partners to provide nutritious school meals comes from a common goal we all share: to help children lead healthier lives.

By law, USDA is required to develop school nutrition standards that reflect the goals of the most recent edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Yet most children are consuming too much added sugars and sodium and not enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, leading to a rise in diet-related diseases. By following the science and listening to extensive feedback from all our school meal partners, USDA is making gradual updates to the school nutrition standards in a few key areas to give children the right balance of many nutrients for healthy, tasty meals.

What do families need to know about the changes to school meals?

Healthy school meals are an essential part of the school day and set kids up for success in and out of the classroom . School nutrition staff work tirelessly to serve children meals that are delicious and nutritious. And it shows: research found that school meals are the healthiest meals most children get in a day. Still, there is room for improvement. For example, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting added sugars to less than 10 percent of calories daily; but currently, about 17 percent of calories in school breakfasts and 11 percent of calories in school lunches are from added sugars.

Through the final rule, USDA updated school meals in a few key areas to make them even more nutritious. For the first time, USDA will require schools to focus on products with less added sugars, especially in school breakfast. The reductions in added sugars and sodium as well as other changes will phase in over several years to give schools and students time to adjust to the new menus. So many people and organizations – parents, school nutrition professionals, public health advocates, the food industry, state agencies, and others – shared their feedback, and USDA listened.

What do schools need to know about the updates to the school nutrition requirements and menu planning flexibilities?

These gradual updates come from a shared goal: to help children lead healthier lives.

School meals will continue to emphasize fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and give children the right balance of many nutrients for healthy, tasty meals. For the first time, schools will also focus on offering products with less added sugars, especially in school breakfast. School nutrition directors will also have more flexibility to prepare and offer students’ favorites, including plant-based foods, culturally inclusive choices, and local meals and snacks.

Schools and the food industry let us know that changes to the nutrition requirements need to be gradual and predictable to give them time to plan, develop and reformulate products, and allow children’s taste preferences time to adapt. We took this feedback seriously; schools will not be required to make any changes to their menus for the coming school year 2024-25. Changes in the rule will phase in  between fall 2025 and fall 2027, including an achievable one-step sodium reduction.

USDA is grateful for the dedication of school nutrition professionals who serve students healthy meals with kindness and care. Knowing some schools continue to face challenges, USDA will continue to provide our school nutrition professionals with all the support we can to help them succeed, including funding for equipment, training, technical assistance, and other innovations.

What are the specific updates to school meals?

Updates in the following key areas build on the current school nutrition requirements:

• Added Sugars¹ : Starting in school year 2025-26 (July 1, 2025), there will be a limit on the amount of added sugars allowed for specific foods that tend to be higher in added sugars: breakfast cereals, yogurt, and flavored milk. Starting in school year 2027-28 (July 1, 2027), in addition to limits on added sugars in those specific foods, no more than 10 percent of weekly calories in the meals can be from added sugars.
• Milk: Flavored milk (fat-free and low-fat) may still be offered in all K-12 schools. Limits on added sugars for flavored milk must be implemented by school year 2025-26 (July 1, 2025). Through the Healthy School Milk Commitment, companies representing more than 90 percent of the school milk market in the U.S. have committed to provide school milk options with no more than 10 grams of added sugars per 8 ounces by school year 2025-26, which aligns with the required limits on added sugars for flavored milk.
• Whole Grains: There are no changes to whole grains nutrition requirements for school meals. Schools will continue to ensure that 80 percent of the weekly grains offered in the school meal programs are primarily whole grain (containing at least 50 percent whole grains). Schools still have the option to occasionally offer non-whole, enriched grain foods that meet students’ cultural needs and flavor preferences.
• Sodium: Based on public input, schools will have several years to gradually reduce sodium from current limits. By school year 2027-28 (July 1, 2027), schools will implement a single achievable reduction to sodium for school breakfast (10 percent decrease) and lunch (15 percent decrease).

Other updates:

• Provides more flexibility at breakfast by allowing schools to offer meats and meat alternates (such as yogurt; beans, peas, and lentils; eggs; tofu) as part of a nutritious school meal.
• Supports more culturally inclusive meals, including traditional Indigenous foods in schools serving primarily American Indian and Alaska Native students.
• Gradually phases in a limit to non-domestic food purchases so that no more than 5 percent of school food authority total food purchases can come from outside of the U.S.
• Eases procurement challenges, increases market opportunities for small and medium-sized producers, and supports access to locally grown, raised, and caught unprocessed foods.

A full description of all changes in the rule is available for download.

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¹ What are added sugars? According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “Added sugars include sugars that are added during the processing of foods (such as sucrose or dextrose), foods packaged as sweeteners (such as table sugar), sugars from syrups and honey, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices. They do not include naturally occurring sugars that are found in milk, fruits, and vegetables.” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers additional educational resources on added sugars.

How did USDA decide what to include in the school meal updates?

By law, school nutrition requirements must reflect the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The updates are based on the latest nutrition science, real-world experience from school nutrition professionals, and input from many individuals and groups who care deeply about children’s health. We all share the common goal of helping students reach their full potential.

USDA held over 50 listening sessions with parents, teachers, school nutrition professionals, public health and nutrition experts, advocacy groups, partners from tribal nations, and the food industry to develop the updated standards. USDA then carefully considered over 136,000 public comments received on the proposed rule prior to making changes in this final rule.

If school meals are already healthy, why is USDA making changes?

Millions of children rely on school meals and snacks for more than half of their food intake during the school week, and for many children, school meals and snacks are the most nutritious foods they get in a day. However, recent research has shown there is still room for improvement. For example, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans show that about 70-80 percent of school children get too many added sugars. Similarly, a USDA study found that more than 90 percent of schoolchildren typically got more sodium than is recommended. With preventable diet-related diseases like diabetes and hypertension on the rise, the incremental changes being made are intended to support children’s health, because even small nutritional improvements can have a large impact over time.

Will other child nutrition programs be impacted by these updates?

Some of the updates in the final rule will impact the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and/or the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Please visit the CACFP/SFSP Implementation Timeline for detailed information.

Are these kinds of changes only happening with school meals or other child nutrition program meals?

Reducing added sugars and sodium in the food supply is a challenge in schools, at home, in restaurants, and many other places. USDA’s plans to reduce sodium and added sugars in school meals take into account that changes also need to occur in the food supply because we all share the responsibility to improve nutrition for children and adults.

In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) included added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label for the first time, which helps consumers and school menu planners more easily identify added sugars in the foods and beverages we eat, drink, and serve to students. Companies representing more than 90 percent of the school milk market in the U.S. have committed through the Healthy School Milk Commitment to provide school milk options with no more than 10 grams of added sugars per 8 ounces by school year 2025-26. This commitment aligns with USDA’s required limits on added sugars for flavored milk.

This final rule supports a gradual reduction of sodium in children’s diets, consistent with the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans as well as the FDA's voluntary sodium reduction goals for industry. As the U.S. food supply starts to contain less sodium, thanks to the FDA’s voluntary sodium reduction effort, the meals children eat outside of school will better reflect the nourishing meals they get in school.

How do the updates support culturally inclusive school meals?

USDA encourages schools to plan and serve culturally inclusive meals for their students, which is an important part of nutrition equity. For example, with the updates, schools serving primarily American Indian and Alaska Native children will be able to serve vegetables – such as breadfruit, prairie turnips, yams, plantains, or sweet potatoes – to meet the grains requirement. The flexibility to serve vegetables to meet the grains requirement is also extended to all schools, sponsors, institutions, and facilities in Guam and Hawaii.

The final rule also encourages schools to offer traditional Indigenous foods in school meals. This is already allowed and is now included in regulation.

What changes are being made to the Buy American provision to support purchase of domestic foods in school meals?

USDA requires schools to purchase domestic products as much as possible while recognizing that is not always practical. Known as the Buy American provision, this supports the mission of the child nutrition programs (CNPs), which is to serve children nutritious meals and support American agriculture. USDA can make exceptions when schools need to buy non-domestic foods, and this rule will reduce – over several years – the percentage of non-domestic foods allowed in CNP meals. Phasing in this change will allow school meal partners time to plan and prepare while upholding the importance of purchasing domestic foods for school meal programs.

How do the updates support buying local foods for school meals?

The updates simplify purchasing local foods for child nutrition programs. The expanded geographic preference option allows program operators to include local as a procurement specification for locally grown, raised, and caught unprocessed agricultural products for the first time starting in school year 2024-25. They will continue to have the option of using a defined scoring advantage for unprocessed agricultural products from a specific geographic area or adopt a mix of both strategies to support local sourcing.

Will students eat the healthier meals?

USDA recognizes that it takes time to change students’ food preferences and habits, which is why we considered feedback from nutrition experts, program operators, students, and others on how to balance taste and nutrition when developing the updates. For example, the added sugars reductions will be gradually phased in across multiple school years to allow students’ tastes to adapt to the changes.

Schools across the country are successfully serving meals that are nutritious and appetizing. USDA encourages schools to consider best practices such as student taste tests, farm to school activities, allowing students the choice to decline some of the food offered, salad bars, share tables, student advisory committees, and nutrition education efforts to help increase consumption of nutritious school meals and reduce food waste.

When will these changes be implemented?

USDA has taken a gradual, multi-year approach to implementing updates to the nutrition requirements. Schools are not required to make any menu changes until school year 2025-26 (July 1, 2025), at the earliest.

But as early as July 1, 2024, which is the beginning of school year 2024-25, schools can choose to use updated menu flexibilities to select foods and develop menus that cater to student preferences. See the implementation timeline for further details.

Will provisions in the Agriculture Appropriations Act passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by the President in March 2024 affect updates to child nutrition program meals?

The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act is the bill from Congress that funds USDA through Sept. 30, 2024. A few provisions in this law affect child nutrition programs.

• Milk: Under the Appropriations Act, schools must be permitted to serve low-fat or fat-free flavored milk as part of a reimbursable meal in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. Flavored milk must be allowed for participants ages 6 and older in the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
  
  The milk updates made by the final rule are consistent with the Appropriations Act. All K-12 schools may continue to offer fat-free and low-fat milk, both flavored and unflavored. Added sugar product-based limits for flavored varieties of milk must be implemented by school year 2025-26. Additionally, CACFP operators may continue to serve both flavored and unflavored milk to participants ages 6 and older.
   
• Sodium: Under the Appropriations Act, current school meals sodium limits may be maintained through school year 2026-27 and USDA may not require schools to reduce sodium to limits lower than the Target 2 requirements set in 2012 for school breakfast and school lunch.
  
  The sodium updates made by the final rule are consistent with the Appropriations Act. Updated sodium requirements for school meals include a single sodium reduction of approximately 10 percent at breakfast and 15 percent at lunch, set to begin in school year 2027-28. These updates bring sodium limits down to the exact limits that were previously referred to as the Target 2 limits, issued in 2012.
   
• Vegetables at breakfast: Under the Appropriations Act, for school year 2024-25, schools have the option to offer any vegetables in place of fruits at breakfast with no requirements to serve vegetables from specific subgroups.
  
  The vegetables at breakfast provision in the final rule is not fully consistent with the Appropriations Act. Under the final rule, schools choosing to substitute vegetables for fruits at breakfast on two or more days per school week are required to offer vegetables from at least two different subgroups. Therefore, for school year 2024-25, schools may offer any vegetable in place of fruit at breakfast. USDA continues to encourage program operators to include a variety of vegetables at breakfast when using this optional menu planning flexibility to expose children to the nutrients that come from a variety of vegetables.

How will USDA support schools to meet the updated nutrition requirements?

Since 2021, USDA has invested more than $5 billion to support school nutrition– from local farms to students’ plates and all throughout the supply chain. USDA remains committed to providing schools the support they need to continue serving children nutritious and appealing meals – now and throughout the gradual, phased-in implementation of these updates:

• USDA has invested $100 million to establish the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative to improve the nutritional quality of school meals through food systems transformation, school food authority recognition and technical assistance, the generation and sharing of innovative ideas and tested practices, and grants to schools and others in the school food supply chain.
• In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, USDA will offer $10 million in Equipment Assistance Grants to support schools purchase new and updated kitchen equipment. This is in addition to the $381 million we have provided for equipment purchases since FY 2010.
• USDA’s Team Nutrition provides resources, tools, and grants to help schools engage students in learning about healthy eating and trying new foods. USDA has invested more than $32 million in Team Nutrition Training Grants since 2014.
• USDA’s Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program makes local food and agriculture education available to child nutrition program sites through grants, research, and technical assistance and training. Since FY 2013, USDA has awarded more than $84 million through the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program, funding more than 1,100 projects throughout all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico. To date, Farm to School Grants have reached over 28 million students in nearly 63,000 schools. Awardees for the FY2024 farm to school grants will be announced this summer.
• USDA has established a cooperative agreement with the Urban School Food Alliance (USFA) to improve the school food procurement process for all stakeholders. USFA will take a 3-phase approach to provide training and tools to school districts that will help them purchase high-quality foods, while keeping costs low, all while pushing for more efficient and modernized school food purchasing models that support local economies.
• USDA partners with the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) to provide tailored trainings for school nutrition professionals.
• The ICN’s Child Nutrition Sharing Site (CNSS) is a centralized website where child nutrition professionals can store, organize, manage, and share knowledge and resources developed at the local or state level. It also provides access to resources that support current federal regulations, policies, and guidance.

Recipients of the FY 2023 Team Nutrition Grant

State Agency

School Food Authority

On Aug.16, 2023, FNS announced the award of $9.4 million in federal funding for the FY 2023 Team Nutrition Grant for Supporting Nutrition Education for School-Aged Children.

These 3-year grants support state agencies and school food authorities (SFA) in implementing and facilitating the adoption of healthy eating patterns by school-aged children (grades pre-K-12), parents/caregivers, and school staff through the coordination and implementation of MyPlate nutrition education connected to the nutritious meals and snacks offered through USDA child nutrition programs.

For more information, please contact TeamNutrition@USDA.gov.

State agencies and SFA were awarded grants to support the following objectives:

1. Increase the consumption of nutritious foods and beverages offered through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool Meals and Outside School Hours Care Centers (OSHCC) via high-quality MyPlate nutrition education.
2. Increase awareness of the MyPlate symbol and accompanying MyPlate nutrition education tools, resources, and messages. Increase awareness of the nutritional contributions of meals and snacks offered to students from parents/caregivers, school coaches and athletic trainers, school nurses, afterschool program operators, and pre-K-12 teachers.
3. Improve equity by increasing the number of students from historically underserved and marginalized populations who are reached by nutrition education resources, including resources and recipes that are culturally appropriate and/or in the preferred language of the students and their families.
4. Increase school community engagement in the development, implementation, and assessment of the Local School Wellness Policy (LWP).

State Agencies

Iowa

Iowa Department of Education (DOE) will use formative research to develop culturally appropriate social marketing campaign strategies and materials to increase the recognition of MyPlate and improve perceptions of the nutritional quality of school meals and snacks among school stakeholders. Previously used MyPlate nutrition education materials will be expanded and used to educate groups of students who have not been reached in previous DOE nutrition education projects, including seventh and eighth grade students and students participating in afterschool programs. DOE will award 20 sub-grants to school food authorities and 10 sub-grants to Child and Adult Care Food Program At-Risk Afterschool programs to hire nutrition educators and purchase allowable supplies. Finally, DOE will expand on the USDA Local School Wellness Policy (LWP) Outreach Toolkit to include videos for schools to share with school community members, along with an LWP webinar series outlining strategies to increase involvement, address barriers, and meet LWP requirements.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) will pilot the Louisiana MyPlate 678 project. This project will be implemented in 20 schools across Louisiana and will focus on cafeteria service line infrastructure improvements, implementation of MyPlate-themed behavioral focused strategies to promote the selection of nutritious choices, and training of school nutrition professionals. In conjunction, a statewide awareness campaign of MyPlate resources specifically targeting sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students, parents and caregivers, and school staff will further facilitate the selection of nutritious food choices in the school environment. Formative research led by SNAP-Ed experts will inform the development of culturally appropriate nutrition education resources and use of cultural foods in school meals. Finally, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s School Health Index and Team Nutrition’s Local School Wellness Policy Outreach Kit will be adapted to support implementation in middle schools and improve health outcomes.

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Michigan

Michigan Department of Education (MDE) will support the adaptation of healthy eating patterns for historically underserved and marginalized groups by using three complementary strategies. First, they will work to strengthen and energize Local School Wellness Policies (LWP) through a refresh of local school wellness committees across the state. These committees will consist of diverse members, featuring MyPlate Student Ambassadors and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program education funded Community Nutrition Instructors from Michigan State University Extension (MSUE). MSUE Instructors will play a key role in advising and coaching school or district teams through a LWP review process, using the WellSAT 3.0 and WellSAT-I tools, which support assessment, revision, and implementation. Second, MDE and MSUE will partner with school nutrition professionals and MyPlate student ambassadors to develop goals and activities to address deficiencies identified in LWP review process findings. Lastly, MDE and MSUE instructors will provide nutrition education to students via the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Program by implementing the Peak Health and Performance curriculum, a six-week curriculum that educates young student athletes about the importance of healthy nutrition behaviors to support both health and performance.

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Nebraska

Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) will conduct the School Community Engagement and Equity in Nutrition (SEEN) project to curate a collection of high-quality nutrition education resources. SEEN will reinforce core MyPlate messages and assist schools in providing nutrition education through the provision of technical assistance, 45 sub-grants to support recipe development and taste testing, and engagement activity support (taste tests, recipe contests, celebrations). NDE will also develop and translate recipes and menus to Spanish and Afghan, with help from the Hispanic/Latino and Afghan communities and standardize culturally appropriate recipes for incorporation into school menus. Finally, NDE will evaluate the triennial assessments completed in 2023 in order to develop additional trainings and adapt the local school wellness policy toolkit to further support Nebraska’s unique needs.

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) will support and expand the Students Take Charge! (STC) program, previously developed by University of Rhode Island (URI) SNAP-Ed. The STC program empowers fifth grade students to see themselves and their cultures reflected within their food choices through the development of hands-on, fruit- or vegetable-based recipes that meet school meal nutrition standards and represent their cultural backgrounds and heritage. To implement STC at the local level, RIDE will develop a STC toolkit including refined MyPlate messaging, lesson plans, social media and messaging standards, and other wellness policy supports. Lastly, RIDE will prioritize training and education at all levels including cultural and culinary training for school nutrition professionals, professional development for school-level staff, and student education. RIDE will also provide technical assistance and outreach for the broader school community through the school wellness committee and the development, implementation, and assessment of the Local School Wellness Policy.

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Texas

Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) will partner with Texas A&M AgriLife and Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) to establish the Texas MyPlate Food Ambassadors Changing Environments and Systems (Texas MyPlate FACES) program. Texas MyPlate FACES will include training of 150 student MyPlate Ambassadors to lead projects that incorporate MyPlate messaging and curricula. The MyPlate Ambassadors will create changes in their school environments that promote MyPlate education, serve as MyPlate mentors for younger students in afterschool programs, support taste testing opportunities of multicultural recipes, and solicit feedback on current Local School Wellness Policy (LWP) initiatives. TDA will also work with AFHK to host five regional training courses geared towards enhancing school food authorities LWPs and providing technical assistance to schools working with MyPlate ambassadors. Additionally, TDA and Texas A&M AgriLife will work with districts in the five training regions to select recipes that include cultural foods and conduct taste testing activities for student approval of new recipes.

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Washington

The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) will provide multi-modality training, technical assistance, and resources to school food authorities in partnership with state and local Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education educators. OSPI will develop four different training tracks, with each track being offered to 15-25 school and afterschool child nutrition programs (CNP). Training tracks will align with grant objectives and cover the topics of MyPlate nutrition education for school-aged children; MyPlate and school and afterschool meals program promotion; culturally representative meals, menus, and nutrition education; and reinvigorating Local School Wellness Policies (LWP). Through these training tracks, OSPI aims to increase the consumption of nutritious foods among students; improve community perceptions of USDA CNP increase equity through culturally responsive meals, menus, and materials; and reinvigorate LWPs.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) will partner with FoodWIse Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program education educators to provide MyPlate nutrition education to over 5,000 elementary, middle, and high school students. Classroom-based nutrition education will be connected to school meals and afterschool snacks through the implementation of behavioral-focused strategies in the cafeteria and student engagement activities such as taste tests, Harvest of the Month (HOM) programming, and the Whipping Up Wellness Wisconsin Student Chef Competition. The Wisconsin School Meals Rock! (WI SMR!) multi-channel social marketing campaign will be expanded to increase awareness and perceptions about the nutritional quality of school meals among 25,000 students, families/caregivers, teachers, school administrators, and other key stakeholders. The WI SMR! campaign will use consistent messaging to demonstrate that school meals offer a variety of healthy foods from each of the MyPlate food groups. The WI SMR! messages and materials will be translated into Hmong and Spanish to increase their reach and accessibility. DPI will establish a Wellness Collaborative of school food authorities to advance Local School Wellness Policy uptake and implementation and will develop three culturally relevant recipes that reflect populations within the community.

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School Food Authorities (SFA)

California

The Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) will provide targeted training, technical assistance, and resources in order to expand nutrition education and wellness capacity using a two-tiered approach. In the first tier, LACOE will provide technical assistance and professional training to 44 school food authorities (SFA) where 60% or more of the enrolled students qualify for free-or reduced-priced meals. In the second tier, LACOE will provide in-depth guidance, support, and sub-grants to help selected SFAs serving historically underserved communities integrate MyPlate nutrition education and Team Nutrition materials into the classroom and support Local School Wellness Policy (LWP) expansion and implementation using the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model. The LWP expansion and implementation will be facilitated through county-wide professional development and capacity building at the SFA level.

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Colorado

Weld County School District 6 (WCSD6) will implement a nutrition education program, built on the Team Nutrition curricula Serving Up MyPlate: A Yummy Curriculum and Fueling My Healthy Life, reaching 23,000 students. WCSD6 will also deploy an integrated MyPlate messaging strategy, through partnerships with the Weld County Department of Public Health & Environment’s Cooking Matters family classes, High Plains Library District’s Community Seed Library community education events, and Greeley Farmers Market. The messaging will introduce MyPlate principles to students and their families/caregivers through existing family engagement programs. WCSD6 will also offer experiential learning opportunities through increasing school garden capacity for their Garden to Cafeteria program, purchasing smoothie bikes, and providing resources for students to visit farms.

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Parents and caregivers understand how picky children can sometimes be at mealtime, when the dinner plate may be met with folded arms and a turned-up nose.

Fortunately, individuals like Angela Adkins dedicate their careers to providing kids with delicious meals that give kids the nutrition they need to grow and thrive. Her team of school nutrition professionals dish up meals for over 1,700 students every day in Carroll County, Kentucky.

"If I wouldn’t feed a meal to my family, there’s no way I would serve it at school. The students are our families, and we take care of them," said Adkins, nutrition director of Carroll County Schools. “It’s the little things that make the biggest difference.”

In 2022 and 2023, Carroll County was awarded a USDA National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance Grant by the Kentucky Department of Education, which allowed the school district to upgrade kitchen ovens that had been in service for over 25 years. According to Adkins, their new ovens are larger, cook food more evenly, and allow the school district to incorporate more local beef, pork, and vegetables into their meals.

“We offer four to five different meal options every day, and the kids have responded well to it. Parents tell us that their kids go home in the afternoon with excitement and often can’t wait to tell what they had for lunch. These meals serve a pretty big role in our community,” said Adkins.

School districts and states across the country use the Equipment Assistance Grants to support their meal programs in a variety of ways, including:

• Upgrading older kitchen equipment for modern and more safe models;
• Increasing scratch cooking;
• Improving food safety;
• Improving storage of fresh food; and
• Expanding the school breakfast programs.

Carroll County Schools also participates in the Community Eligibility Provision, an option that allows eligible schools to provide all meals at no cost to students. An overwhelming majority of students in the district rely on Adkins and her team to provide them with a nutritious breakfast and lunch each school day.

Adkins encourages school districts to apply for Equipment Assistance Grants, especially if their district faces barriers to providing healthy, well-balanced meals for students. She also advises fellow nutrition directors like her to be honest about their school district’s needs. “If they're willing to put forth the effort to incorporate something into the program for the betterment of the student, it's worth it to apply for the grant,” said Adkins.

To learn more about the NSLP Equipment Assistance Grants, visit the NSLP webpage.
To learn more about what’s happening in school meals, visit the USDA School Meals Page.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11, 2023White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022 to increase access to healthy foods for students at schools across the country. All this unfolds as USDA joins students, parents/caregivers, schools, communities, and partners across the country in recognizing National School Lunch Week, as proclaimed by President Biden, and National Farm to School Month.

“USDA is committed to giving students the nutrition they need to reach their full potential by empowering schools to continue serving delicious, healthy meals,” said Secretary Vilsack. “There’s no better time to announce these new efforts to support schools than during National School Lunch Week and Farm to School Month, as we acknowledge the critical role that school meals play in a child’s life. The Biden-Harris Administration will continue doing everything we can to ensure schools have the tools they need to keep serving the highest quality meals to kids across America.”

USDA is partnering with the Urban School Food Alliance to provide trainings and tools to school districts that will help them purchase high quality foods, while keeping costs low. In recent years schools have faced challenges in obtaining healthy foods consistently, efficiently and effectively. This initiative will support schools with school meals procurement, including the development of tools and training.

"The Urban School Food Alliance appreciates the opportunity to work with USDA to improve the school food procurement process for all stakeholders,” said Dr. Katie Wilson, executive director of the Urban School Food Alliance. “With procurement practices laying the foundation for obtaining fresh, healthy food served throughout our nation's schools, we look forward to developing and implementing new tools to push for a more efficient and sustainable food system that includes supporting local economies.”

In addition, there are two new grant opportunities opening to support school meals:

• Beginning today, USDA is accepting applications for the next round of USDA Farm to School Grants – which support local child nutrition programs in serving more fresh and local foods – through Jan.12, 2024.
• Applications will open soon for the School Food Systems Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants. As the second phase of USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, these sub-grants will fund projects promoting innovation in the school meals marketplace through collaboration between schools food producers and suppliers, including local producers and small and disadvantaged businesses.

Partnership with Urban School Food Alliance

The Urban School Food Alliance currently consists of 18 large school districts that share best practices about purchasing school foods, based on their experiences and procurement data they have gathered and analyzed beginning in school year 2017-18. Through its new partnership agreement with USDA, the Urban School Food Alliance will:

• Develop new tools to educate school districts on best practices for purchasing school foods.
• Organize an advisory group of school nutrition stakeholders to create an action plan that will address challenges with school food procurement through the development of targeted trainings and resources.
• Develop an interactive bid template that will help standardize procurement processes in school nutrition.

The Urban School Food Alliance has existing trainings and resources they will begin sharing with school districts immediately, and the development of new tools and the advisory group are both expected to begin in early 2024.

Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative – School Food Systems Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants

Two of the four organizations leading the School Food Systems Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants will open applications in November 2023:

• Supporting Community Agriculture and Local Education Systems (SCALES), led by Boise State University, will encourage innovative partnerships between schools and producers, growers, and processors to nourish students through transformation of the school food system.
• Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS), led by the Chef Ann Foundation, will support regional efforts to nourish students, increase equity, foster a resilient supply chain, and create scalable and sustainable change for school districts across the country.

Applications for sub-grants managed by two other organizations – Full Plates Full Potential and Illinois Public Health Institute – will open in early 2024. Collectively, the four organizations were awarded $50 million to administer these sub-grants. The grants will support collaboration between school districts, food producers, suppliers, distributors, and/or community partners to stimulate a resilient, equitable, and nutritious school food system.

Eligible organizations are encouraged to check the USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives website for updates and sign up for bi-monthly newsletter at the bottom right of the USDA Team Nutrition website.

Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program

The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program, also known as the Farm to School Program, helps child nutrition programs incorporate local foods into school breakfast and lunch; summer meals; and meals served at child care centers. The program offers a variety of resources, from research, technical assistance, and grants to help build and grow farm to school programs.

Applications for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program are now open through Jan. 12, 2024. To receive updates about the grants application and other farm to school news, subscribe to The Dirt, program’s monthly e-newsletter.

Since the Farm to School Grant program began in 2013, USDA has awarded a total of $84 million in grants to projects across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico, which have reached over 28 million students in more than 63,000 schools. The Department is expected to award at least $10 million in grants in 2024.

In addition, this month, the Farm to School Program also launched the 2023 Farm to School Census, a periodic survey of school districts’ participation in local procurement and agricultural education activities. The Census is the most comprehensive survey of farm to school activity in the United States. USDA encourages all school districts to complete the survey to build an accurate picture of farm to school activity across the nation.

Related Resources

• Webpage: USDA School Meals
• Webpage: Child Nutrition Success Stories
• Webpage: USDA Support for Schools

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2023 – This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) joined students, parents/caregivers, schools, communities, and partners across the country in recognizing National School Lunch Week, as proclaimed by President Biden. October is also Farm to School Month, which recognizes the benefits of incorporating healthy, locally grown foods into school meals.

“School meals are the main source of nutrition for nearly 30 million children each school day,” said Deputy Under Secretary of Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Stacy Dean. “USDA applauds the school nutrition professionals, teachers, farmers and producers, and other community heroes who make it their mission to nourish students in the classroom and lunchroom. The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to invest in our nation’s future by supporting programs and efforts that improve the health and well-being of our children.”

USDA is pleased to highlight some of the many success stories across the country of schools creatively leveraging resources – both their own and USDA’s – to help children reach their full potential through nutritious school meals.

Improving the Quality of School Meals

Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program

USDA continues to support fresh and local meals in all child nutrition programs through the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program, including awarding $10.7 million to support 103 grantees’ farm to school projects earlier this year. Applications for the next round of Farm to School Grants are open now through Jan. 12, 2024. To receive updates on the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program and applications for the grants, subscribe to The Dirt, the program’s monthly e-newsletter.

Success Story: Children in Hillsborough County, Florida can access homegrown, nutritious school meals thanks to strong partnerships with local farmers. Because the school district uses the Community Eligibility Provision, commonly known as CEP, these meals are served without the need for families to fill out applications. Read their story.

Equipment Assistance Grants for the National School Lunch Program

This year, USDA awarded $30 million to help school districts nationwide purchase equipment to prepare and serve nutritious meals that meet the department’s nutrition requirements. These investments also make it easier for schools to incorporate fresh foods into their cooking, such as those provided through Farm to School programs.

Success Story: Carroll County Schools in Kentucky received an Equipment Assistance Grant from the Kentucky Department of Education that allowed them to replace their kitchen ovens – in service for over 25 years – with new and improved ovens that cook more efficiently. This allowed them to include more local foods into their delicious school meals. Learn more.

Expanding Access to School Meals

Community Eligibility Provision

Last month, USDA announced a final rule that gives an estimated 3,000 more school districts in high-need areas the option to serve healthy school meals to all students at no cost. This option is possible through the Community Eligibility Provision, when state and local funds are available to meet the additional costs that are not covered by federal funds. In school year 2022-23, 19.9 million students benefitted from CEP in more than 6,400 school districts nationwide.

School nutrition leaders from across the country tout the positive results of offering their students school breakfast and lunch at no cost:

“CEP has transformed the landscape of school meal programs in West Virginia for the better. With CEP, more students are participating in school meal programs, and when meals are free and readily available, there are no financial barriers to accessing nutritious food. This increased participation in school breakfast and lunch has had positive implications for students' health, well-being, and academic participation. Additionally, the momentum from CEP has motivated our communities to ensure our kids are fed outside of school by supporting school-based food pantries and backpack programs.” – Amanda Harrison, director, Office of Child Nutrition, West Virginia Department of Education

“The New Mexico Public Education Department’s work with CEP has assisted in the implementation of universal free meals in New Mexico. Over the past few years, our poverty numbers increased, which has led to the increase in schools participating in CEP. CEP has been instrumental in allowing over 80% of New Mexico’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications.” – Michael Chavez, director, Student Success and Wellness Bureau, New Mexico Public Education Department

FNS Administrator Cindy Long notes “While there is still more work ahead to ensure every K-12 student in the nation can access healthy school meals at no cost, each state that takes any action to expand access to school meals moves us closer towards that goal.”

Healthy School Meals for All

Eight states have taken permanent actions to make sure hunger is not a barrier to children’s success. California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont passed state laws allowing their schools to serve healthy school breakfasts and lunches to all their students at no cost.

Direct Certification for Medicaid Demonstration Projects

USDA continues to expand its Direct Certification for Medicaid Demonstration Projects, which ensure that eligible children in households receiving Medicaid benefits automatically receive free or reduced price school meals without their families completing an application. The demonstration projects have been implemented in 38 states, and USDA will invite more states to participate. In school year 2019-20, 1.4 million students received free and reduced-price school meals thanks to direct certification through Medicaid.

Related Resources

• Webpage: USDA School Meals
• Webpage: Child Nutrition Success Stories
• Webpage: USDA Support for Schools

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow us:

• Twitter/X: Join our community @USDANutrition, where we provide updates to our 110,000+ followers on everything happening across our programs.
• Instagram: Follow our new MyPlate account @myplate_gov to see how nutrition can be tasty and fun, bite by bite!
• National Newsletters: Subscribe for updates on any or all our nutrition assistance programs and receive press releases, blogs, policy updates, and other national-level news.
• Regional Newsletters: Stay updated on how our programs are making a difference in your local and regional community.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

There’s something growing on at Rialto Unified School District (RUSD). By growing school gardens, serving more local foods in school meals, offering all students breakfast and lunch at no cost, serving healthy summer meals, and more, RUSD is supporting a healthier future for their community. And it is all due to the school district’s commitment to serving kids healthy and tasty school meals.

RUSD students are learning how food is grown by helping to tend school gardens and citrus groves. By leveraging California’s farm to school funding, RUSD has been laying the groundwork to incorporate the produce grown by students into the meals the district’s schools serve.

At Rialto Middle School, students learn about environmental resiliency and help expand the amount of local foods purchased for school meals. Not only are students making a difference by increasing the amount of fresh, nutritious, and tasty meals served in their school, they are also bringing their learning home to teach their families about healthy eating.

At another RUSD campus, Werner Elementary School, a community garden is serving as a living laboratory where students can observe, experiment with, and grow edible plants. The staff that manage Werner Elementary School’s garden strive to promote good nutrition by planting, tending, harvesting, and eating organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs. The school aims to empower the community with gardens and a STEM-based curriculum that engages all students in experiential outdoor education.

RUSD leadership and its Board of Education recognize that nourishing food is essential to student health and development. They acknowledge that child nutrition programs have a positive and direct impact on children's well-being and success in the classroom and are committed to getting the entire school community and other stakeholders involved, including local farmers and elected leaders.

Given the RUSD community’s commitment to serving and teaching children about healthy food, the district naturally became a model for drive-thru food pick-up during the Covid-19 pandemic. The RUSD Nutrition Services’ mini documentary titled, “Rialto Unified School District: Feeding Kids During COVID,” provides a snapshot of the challenges the district faced and how their community worked together to feed students and families quality food in a comfortable, uplifting environment.

RUSD continues to support their students’ access to healthy school meals by:

1. Participating in Community Eligibility Provision to offer all students breakfast and lunch at no cost;
2. Serving breakfast in the classroom at elementary, middle, and high schools;
3. Utilizing the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to introduce new produce and deliver nutrition education;
4. Conducting healthy food tastes tests; and
5. Using USDA Foods and scratch-cooking to create healthy school meals; and

As a result of their commitment to serving high-quality nutritious summer meals, RUSD was awarded USDA’s Turnip the Beet Gold Award in 2021 and 2022. The award recognizes outstanding summer meal program sponsors, including school districts across the nation who offer meals that are appetizing, appealing, and nutritious to children during the summer months.

The success of RUSD's child nutrition programs is the result of an entire school community embracing efforts to serve and teach students about nutritious foods. By harnessing support from diverse community partners, as well as leveraging local, state, and federal resources, the district has put the children they serve on a path toward a healthy future. As RUSD Lead Child Nutrition Agent Fausat Rahman-Davies said in the mini documentary, “It really takes a village to feed and to raise a child.”

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2023 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) have teamed up to competitively award five organizations a total of $1.1 million to research barriers to equitable access in the federal child nutrition programs and identify strategies to eliminate them. The effort is funded by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service through a cooperative agreement with FRAC.

“The Biden-Harris Administration believes all Americans deserve to have consistent and equitable access to nutritious foods, and reaching that goal starts with our children,” said Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Consumer and Nutrition Services Stacy Dean. “USDA and FRAC’s investments in this critical research are a major step to ensuring our programs reach all eligible children across this country and help them reach their full potential.”

USDA and FRACs efforts to improve food security for school children and children in childcare settings are critical to fueling the health and development of our nation’s children. These programs, which include USDA’s National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Nutrition Programs, and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program, are proven to be instrumental in reducing childhood hunger, decreasing childhood obesity, improving child nutrition and wellness, supporting academic achievement, and enhancing child development and school readiness.

“The child nutrition programs are crucial for children’s well-being, yet many still miss out on the benefits,” said Luis Guardia, president of FRAC. “It’s time to innovate and ensure equitable access to ensure that every child’s health and nutritional needs are met. FRAC is excited to deepen its partnership with the USDA and support this diverse group of organizations as they tackle common program participation barriers associated with the child nutrition programs.”

A significant number of eligible children are either not participating in the programs or do not have programs available to them. The services delivered can vary by community, which could make inequities for historically and currently marginalized communities worse.

The Equitable Access in Child Nutrition Programs project will support research on barriers to participation and equitable delivery of service. This effort is made up of diverse subgrantees, including a public health department, institutions, and community-based organizations:

• Johns Hopkins University: The university will create new measures of school meal quality with an equity lens, including the perceived quality of school meals and cultural relevance of school meals through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.
• Trustees of Indiana University: The university will study disparities in CACFP participation and the inequities contributing to CACFP use among center-based Early Care and Education providers.
• San Antonio Metropolitan Health District: The public health agency will investigate the systemic barriers and social and environmental factors that prevent Black and Latino youth (ages 12-18) in low-income and low food access areas of San Antonio from participating in the Summer Food Service Program and Afterschool Meal Program.
• Hunger Solutions Minnesota: The nonprofit will investigate the impact of Minnesota’s Free School Meals for All program on Black, American Indians, and Latinx youth, including the positive effects of the program and the barriers that students face accessing school meals.
• Feeding Kentucky: The nonprofit will research the barriers that exist on the state agency, sponsor, and site level in accessing summer meals (including non-congregate meals) and Summer EBT, with a specific focus on rural access.

Visit frac.org/equitableaccesscn to learn more about the project and subgrant awardees.

About USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of 16 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit www.fns.usda.gov and follow @USDANutrition.

About the Food Research & Action Center

The Food Research & Action Center improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

As part of a collaborative effort to enhance USDA's summer nutrition programs, Vibrant Hawaii was a key partner in serving thousands of children in rural Hawaii during the summer of 2023. Hoʻōla Farms is one of many operators to benefit from the new USDA-supported program that makes it easier for families to access summer meals.

Hoʻōla Farms and other approved program operators used grab-and-go and delivery meal service, a new option designed to reach children who do not have access to summer programs where children may gather for meals.

During summer 2023, Vibrant Hawaii assisted the Hawaii Department of Education with providing meals in rural areas not served by a group meal site. During a six-week period, approximately 4,000 children were fed breakfast and lunch seven days a week in rural areas of the state.

Sharlene Wong, a Hawaii Department of Education official, is quick to tout the success of the program and shares recommendations and lessons learned:

• Communicate early and often with potential and returning program operators.
• Contact USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) regional office with questions or concerns.
• Be mindful of the time and capacity of sponsors so they can provide meaningful technical support enabling them to operate efficiently.
• Always be available to provide guidance and support to sponsors.

“Without question, it is impressive that 4,000 children were fed nutritious meals throughout the summer,” added Janice Ikeda, executive director of Vibrant Hawaii. “However, it’s comments from the community that give me joy!”

Families of eligible children received these meals while being greeted with “Aloha,” resulting in a positive experience all around. Hilo Products Volunteer Brandon Bartolome said it best when he added, “This program is a shining example of the true meaning of Aloha."

Applications are now open for the School Food Systems Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants, which is part of USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative.

These grants will transform the K-12 school food marketplace by increasing collaboration between school districts, food producers, suppliers, distributors, and/or community partners. Students can expect to see improvements in the quality of food on their plates, thanks to these new efforts.

FNS encourages all eligible applicants to consider applying for one or both grant opportunities:

• Supporting Community Agriculture and Local Education Systems (Project SCALES): Led by the Center for School and Community Partnerships at Boise State University, these projects will increase the procurement of locally sourced foods by developing innovative partnerships between schools and producers; growers; and processors. In addition, schools will be supported in the preparation of the foods and promoting them to students. Project SCALES was awarded $16.1 million and will provide two cohorts with sub-grants of up to $150,000 each (70 total). Two informational webinars on this grant opportunity will be held on Dec. 6, 2023 (English) and Dec. 13, 2023 (Spanish). Applications for the first cohort will close on Jan. 26, 2024. Applications for the second cohort will open in 2025.
• Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS): Led by Chef Ann Foundation, these projects will support regional efforts to expand scratch-cooked meal programs, increase equity, foster a resilient supply chain, and create scalable and sustainable change for school districts across the country. Chef Ann Foundation’s PLANTS was awarded $7.8 million and will provide sub-grants of $500,000-$600,000 to each of eight awardees. These grants will increase opportunities for regional small- and mid-scale producers, aggregators, and processors to become part of the K-12 school food market. An informational webinar on this grant opportunity will be held on Nov. 29, 2023. Applications close on Jan. 22, 2024.

Applications for sub-grants managed by two other organizations – Full Plates Full Potential and Illinois Public Health Institute – will open in early 2024. Collectively, the four organizations were awarded $50 million by USDA to administer these sub-grants.

Eligible organizations are encouraged to check the USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives website to learn more about the School Food Systems Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants. For updates, sign up for the bi-monthly newsletter at the bottom right of the USDA Team Nutrition website.

In the heart of northwest Mesa, Arizona, nestled within the C.A.N.D.O. neighborhood, you’ll find Concordia Charter School. Founded in 2004, this small, kindergarten through 6th grade public charter school is more than just a place of learning. It’s a place where the staff and students have developed a passion for eating healthy.

Concordia shines bright as a beacon of hope for families in surrounding economically challenged communities. Ninety-five percent of the 91 students currently enrolled qualify for free or reduced lunch. For this reason, the school offers breakfast and lunch at no cost to all students through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Provision 2 school meal programs, which simplifies meal counting and claiming procedures for schools.

The school operates on the campus of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, where the children fill their classrooms with curiosity and laughter. Concordia embraces its mission to provide a high-quality education to every child and relies on the highly acclaimed Core Knowledge curriculum to achieve high academic performance. However, beyond the traditional classroom walls, something magical is growing – literally.

Every Monday and Tuesday afternoon between 1:50–3:20 p.m., the school buzzes with excitement when the students close their books and step into the open-air courtyard. This is where the magic happens, and they learn from the earth itself. Concordia’s Farm to School Coordinator James Lang teaches the students lessons on planting and cooking.

In January, the students planted cabbage. As the leaves unfurled, they learned how to make Napa stir fry using their cabbage. Another lesson included planting watermelon radishes used to make pico de gallo that was featured on their school lunch menu.

“I believe the garden is the jewel of our school,” said Principal Amy Hardgrove. “Students enjoy the rich experience of seeing plants grow from seed to harvest, while they themselves are also growing. The garden gives our students a calm space to learn and get back into nature, and it’s a point of pride and joy for our entire school community.”

In addition to growing vegetables in their raised garden beds, the children experience the joy of responsible animal care through their onsite chicken coop and watch as nature transforms waste into rich soil through composting and vermicomposting (composting with worms).

“Our garden program was 10 years in the making and has finally come to fruition,” said Concordia’s Founder and Director Margaret Roush-Meier. “Measures of success for the program are engrained in the school’s culture, aligned to state standards, and articulated throughout the curriculum.”

According to Ms. Roush-Meier, continuous leadership development and a commitment to the future are integral to the sustainability of their garden program. But Concordia isn’t just about gardening. It’s about nourishing both mind and body. They participate in USDA’s Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program which helps schools incorporate local farm-fresh foods into the meals they serve. According to Concordia’s Food and Nutrition Manager Iris Tirado, the school sources about 40-45 percent of its produce from local farmers.

“I love creating meals with more local products and fresh produce,” said Ms. Tirado. “Moving from prepackaged items to scratch cooking has been a great journey for me. I’m very passionate about serving the students food they love and making a difference in their young lives.”

The cafeteria hums with activity during breakfast and lunch where Ms. Tirado plays a crucial role in providing nutritious meals to the children. She handles menu planning and meal preparation, and to foster interaction, she actively seeks feedback from students about their food preferences. On one occasion, Ms. Tirado transitioned students from using syrup on pancakes and waffles, to homemade fruit compote. Initially, she offered a choice between syrup and compote, gradually reducing the syrup portion for the healthier option. She explained to the students that syrup would eventually be phased out, emphasizing the importance of involving them in decision-making and teaching them about eating healthy.

Concordia’s focus on nutrition doesn’t end there. Thanks to a $96,203 Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) grant awarded to Concordia by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK), the school has improved the nutritional quality of its meals and modernized its operations with additional equipment, supplies, staffing, training, nutritional software, and student engagement.

“With the HMI grant, we are able to make a difference with the food we’re serving our students, including the salad bar we introduced this year with crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, crunchy carrots and other items that give way to a rainbow on their plates,” said Ms. Tirado. “We also introduced local grains, and next year, we’re evaluating our protein sources. Creating cultural and relevant recipes in our menu is an extraordinary experience for our students.”

Ms. Tirado added, “One day, I ran into one of our families while in the community and the student ran to me, hugged me, and told her mom, ‘This is Chef Iris. She makes the best food at school.’ This was a great feeling because I know we’re making a difference in that child’s life.”

Concordia’s hallways echo with laughter as its students find common ground in the classroom, in their garden, and at the lunch table. Economic challenges might knock at their doors, but at Concordia Charter School, they are nourished – mind, body, and soul.

What are the current requirements for sodium in school meals?

Current regulations require schools to meet Sodium Target 1A for school lunch and Sodium Target 1 for school breakfast. These limits, which apply to meals on average over the school week, are shown in the tables below:

Current National School Lunch Program Sodium Limits:

Age/Grade Group	Target 1A: Effective July 1, 2023
Grades K-5	< 1,110 mg
Grades 6-8	< 1,225 mg
Grades 9-12	< 1,280 mg

 

Current School Breakfast Program Sodium Limits:

Age/Grade Group	Target 1: Effective July 1, 2022
Grades K-5	< 540 mg
Grades 6-8	< 600 mg
Grades 9-12	< 640mg

 

What are the changes in the final rule for sodium in school meals?

In response to feedback from stakeholders, this final rule provides schools with plenty of time to gradually reduce sodium in school meals by instituting one achievable sodium reduction. The rule also includes a commitment to conduct a study on potential associations between sodium reduction and student participation.

• For the next three school years, through school year 2026-27 (until June 30, 2027), schools will maintain current sodium limits (Sodium Target 1A for lunch and Sodium Target 1 for breakfast).
• By school year 2027-28 (beginning July 1, 2027), schools will implement an approximate 15 percent reduction for lunch and an approximate 10 percent reduction for breakfast from current sodium limits.

National School Lunch Program Sodium Limits

Age/Grade Group	Current Sodium Limit: In place through June 30, 2027	Sodium Limit: Must be implemented by July 1, 2027
Grades K-5	< 1,110 mg	< 935 mg
Grades 6-8	< 1,225 mg	< 1,035 mg
Grades 9-12	< 1,280 mg	< 1,080 mg

 

School Breakfast Program Sodium Limits

Age/Grade Group	Current Sodium Limit: In place through June 30, 2027	Sodium Limit: Must be implemented by July 1, 2027
Grades K-5	< 540 mg	< 485 mg
Grades 6-8	< 600 mg	< 535 mg
Grades 9-12	< 640 mg	< 570 mg

These limits apply to the average amount of sodium in lunch and breakfast menus offered during a school week. Sodium limits do not apply per day, per meal, or per menu item. USDA encourages schools to gradually reduce sodium at lunch and breakfast prior to the implementation deadline by adjusting food preparation methods and purchasing lower sodium foods. USDA is also committed to providing technical assistance and support to schools working to implement the sodium reductions finalized in this rule.

How was USDA responsive to stakeholder feedback when making these changes?

USDA received tens of thousands of comments on the proposed sodium limits, a majority of which supported sodium reductions, as consuming too much sodium can have significant negative health impacts. Food and taste preferences develop at an early age, so limiting sodium in childhood – including in school meals – is important for life-long health.

USDA also listened to comments that noted sodium reduction in school meals is dependent on food product availability, and food product reformulation takes time and resources. Additionally, commenters raised concerns that students’ consumption of higher sodium foods outside of school can impact their acceptance of lower-sodium school meals.

USDA’s approach reflects an understanding that changes in school meals, including sodium reductions, must occur in the context of broader efforts to achieve improvements in diet quality for children and adults alike. That is why USDA took into account the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) voluntary sodium reduction goals for industry when developing this rule. Taken together, USDA and FDA actions are part of a government-wide effort to help reduce sodium in the food supply and promote public health. USDA expects sodium reduction in school meals to be achievable as more food manufacturers develop tasty products with less sodium for schools and the broader marketplace.

USDA also heard from stakeholders about the need for technical assistance and support to schools working to implement the sodium reductions finalized in this rule. While providing schools the assistance that they requested, USDA will also be responsive to the many research requests received during the comment period. USDA has committed to conducting a study on potential associations between sodium reduction and student participation.

Will sodium provisions in the Agriculture Appropriations Act passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by the President in March 2024 affect updates to school meals?

The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act is the bill from Congress that funds USDA through Sept. 30, 2024. Under the Appropriations Act, current school meals sodium limits may be maintained through school year 2026-27, and USDA may not require schools to reduce sodium to limits lower than the Target 2 requirements set in 2012 for school breakfast and school lunch.

The sodium updates made by the final rule are consistent with the Appropriations Act. Updated sodium requirements for school meals include a single sodium reduction of approximately 10 percent at breakfast and 15 percent at lunch, set to begin in school year 2027-28. These updates bring sodium limits down to the exact limits that were previously referred to as the Target 2 limits, issued in 2012.

Why did USDA decide to implement one sodium reduction for school lunch and breakfast?

Based on public input, this final rule gives schools and manufacturers even more time to reduce sodium compared to the proposed rule. The sodium reduction finalized in this rule falls between the first and second sodium reduction included in the proposed rule and reflects the Sodium Target 2 levels established in the 2012 final rule, a level many stakeholders commented was familiar and achievable.

USDA is providing about three years for implementation of the sodium reduction in response to public comments that suggested it takes about three years for manufacturers to reformulate products. Public comments also indicated that children are more likely to accept lower sodium school meals if the meals they consume outside of school are lower in sodium. To that end, other federal agencies are supporting efforts to improve dietary behaviors among the U.S. population. For example, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking an iterative approach to gradually reduce sodium in the U.S. food supply that includes establishing voluntary sodium targets for industry, monitoring and evaluating progress, and engaging with stakeholders.

As recommended by numerous commenters, this final rule also commits to conducting a study on potential associations between sodium reduction in school meals and a student participation.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service recently launched an online dashboard that shares data from USDA’s child nutrition programs through visual tools. This data can be harnessed by federal, state, and local organizations to assess trends in child nutrition program activity and better inform meal service for our nation’s children.

Program data is available for the:  

• National School Lunch Program
• School Breakfast Program
• Child and Adult Care Food Program
• Summer Food Service Program

And the dashboard provides national and state-level visualizations of:  

• Meals served
• Participation
• Funding data  

Here’s a visualization of participation in the National School Lunch Program (national level) across more than 20 years:

Take a fresh look at the Child Nutrition Dashboard to see what’s happening in USDA’s child nutrition programs!

For questions about data visualization and analytics products, please contact FNCS.Analytics@usda.gov.

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