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Secretary Tom Vilsack announced major steps to promote the health of America’s children through school meals. Nutrition standards for school meals will be gradually updated to include less sugar and flexibility with menu planning between Fall 2025 and Fall 2027. The Department arrived at these changes after listening closely to public feedback and considering the latest science-based recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that four school districts in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, and Ohio received awards for their trailblazing and innovative efforts to improve the nutritional quality of meals for their students.

The USDA Northeast Region announced today two new grant opportunities available through the School Food System Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants, part of USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative.

Today, USDA released the Household Food Security in the United States in 2022 report, which examined American households’ ability to access sufficient food last year. 

This week, 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.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today visited Annandale Terrace Elementary School in Annandale, Virginia, where he unveiled two new grant opportunities plus a training and technical assistance partnership to help schools continue to invest in nutritious school meals.

USDA today announced that it is giving an estimated 3,000 more school districts in high-need areas the option to serve breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost, by expanding the availability of the Community Eligibility Provision, commonly known as CEP.

USDA announced that low-income Hawaii residents recovering from the devastating wildfires beginning Aug. 8, 2023, could be eligible for assistance from the USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or D-SNAP.

As part of a cooperative agreement to develop and implement the USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, Action for Healthy Kids today announced that it is awarding nearly $30 million in subgrants to 264 school districts across 44 states and the District of Columbia, reaching students in some of the nation’s highest need schools.

USDA shepherded in the 2023 summer campaign of the Feds Feed Families program, a voluntary food drive that encourages federal employees to make in-kind contributions, including food, services, and time, to food banks and pantries of their choice. This year’s theme is Fighting Hunger – Giving Hope.

Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that the Biden-Harris Administration is providing $2.7 billion to support American farmers, students who participate in school meal programs, and emergency food operations.

Approximately 7,000 families in Cross and Pulaski County affected by recent tornadoes and severe storms will soon be able to receive food packages containing nutritious, high-quality foods that are 100% grown and produced on farms in the U.S. – known as USDA Foods. USDA approved the short-term measure to address an immediate need for food until a longer-term solution is ready to be put in place.