USDA Requests Comments from Stakeholders on New Standards for School Meals
By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
On an average school day in the United States, nearly 30 million children and teens eat school lunches and 14 million eat school breakfasts. School meal programs are funded by the federal government and operate in public and nonprofit private schools. Meal patterns for these programs are established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The USDA is proposing changes to the nutrition standards for school meals to make these meals healthier. The proposed changes include:
- Limiting the amount of added sugar in meals and snacks,
- Requiring that at least 80% of grains served each week be whole grains,
- Reducing the sodium content of school meals, and
- Allowing schools to limit food contract bids to products that are locally grown, raised, or caught.
The USDA is requesting comments on the proposed changes. Parents and guardians of vegan school-aged children may be especially interested in one of the questions that the USDA is requesting feedback on. The USDA says, “While this rule does not propose changes to the fluid milk substitute requirements, USDA has received stakeholder feedback on the fluid milk substitute process on behalf of children who cannot consume, or have difficulty consuming, cow’s milk. USDA seeks public comment on the following question: What feedback do stakeholders have about the current fluid milk substitute process? USDA is especially interested in feedback from parents and guardians and program operators with firsthand experience requesting and processing a fluid milk substitute request.”
By law, schools are required to offer cow’s milk with every school breakfast and lunch. Currently, schools may (but are not required to) provide “non-dairy milk substitutes” for children for non-disability reasons (1, 2). Different rules apply for children who need a milk substitute for reasons related to a disability. In order to provide a substitute for cow’s milk for non-disability reasons, the National School Lunch Act requires that
- a written statement from the student’s parent or guardian or a medical authority be submitted to support the request for non-dairy milk
- non-dairy milks must meet specific nutrition requirements
- The school cover any cost difference between cow’s milk and non-dairy milk.
In its request for comments, USDA says, “USDA recognizes that the specific nutrition and paperwork requirements and cost burden associated with fluid milk substitutes present barriers for schools and families. Additionally, USDA recognizes that under the statute, schools are allowed—but not required—to provide fluid milk substitutes for non-disability reasons; this means that, due to budget constraints, some schools may opt not to provide a fluid milk substitute requested for non-disability reasons on behalf of a child. As noted below, USDA requests public input on the current fluid milk substitute process. While USDA does not have the authority to change the statutory requirements outlined above, better understanding challenges associated with the current process may help USDA address the concerns raised by commenters.”
If your family has requested or considered requesting a milk substitute through the school meals program, the USDA would like to hear about your experience. What challenges did you face? What ideas do you have for improving the process?
Comments on the proposed changes can be submitted at https://www.regulations.gov/document/FNS-2022-0043-0001 and must be submitted by April 10, 2023.
References
- USDA. Meal Requirements Under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. : Questions and Answers for Program Operators. https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/SP05-2022os.pdf#page=27. 2022.
- Child Nutrition Programs. Title 7. Code of Federa-7/l Regulations. Pt. 210. 2021 ed. www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-II/subchapter-A/part-210.
To read more about school meals see:
Getting Vegan Food into Schools
Vegan Options in a California School
Vegan Options in Portland, ME School Lunch
New York City School Lunch Program Features “Vegan Fridays”
