Districts express concern about USDA updates to nutritional standards

Dive summary:

• As the U.S. Department of Agriculture prepares to propose regulations that would require school meals to meet the latest federal nutrition standards, some school nutrition leaders are urging the agency not to increase meat or meat substitute requirements for schools.
• On March 9 Letter to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke RollinsMore than 900 school districts, school nutrition experts and organizations wrote that such a move would increase financial pressure on school nutrition programs and risk losing other nutritional components that are likely to be underutilized.
• The letter was sent a day before the School Nutrition Association announced that its board of directors met with Trump administration officials, including America’s Health Care Reinstatement adviser Callie Maines, to discuss ideas and facts about school nutrition programs. The SNA said the board also wants to “correct misconceptions surrounding the quality of school meals.”

A closer look:

School nutrition leaders’ concerns follow the Trump administration’s announcement in January 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americanswhich prioritizes protein and saturated fat from meat, poultry, nuts, seeds, and eggs.

The latest guidelines also push for less ultra-processed foods and the 1990s Food Guide Pyramid by emphasizing large portions of proteins, dairy, vegetables, and fruits at the broad top end of the pyramid and low portions of whole grains at the bottom.

Now, the USDA must develop regulations that align federal nutrition guidelines with school meal requirements. The agency last updated its school meal nutrition standards in April 2024 under the Biden administration, which included new limits on added sugars and sodium in school meals.

Students are already getting as much or more protein than the current dietary patterns require when compared to the Trump administration’s latest dietary guidelines, school nutrition advocates and leaders wrote in a March 9 letter to Rollins.

Additionally, school nutrition leaders said there is room to improve the amount of fiber students eat in school meals.

“Fiber has been linked to reduced risk of all-cause mortality, colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, and improved gut health,” the letter said. “Rising M/MA [meat or meat alternate] Can include fiber-rich foods in lunch and breakfast packages such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that are under-consumed by students.

In response to the letter’s concerns about USDA’s pending proposed rules for school meals, a USDA spokesperson said in a March 11 statement to K-12 Dive that the agency is “deeply committed” to ensuring that schools provide nutritious, high-quality meals to students.

“School meals play an important role in children’s health, academic success and overall well-being,” the spokesperson said. “That’s why we’ll continue to strengthen nutrition standards based on the latest science, expand access to real, nutritious foods, and work with schools to provide foods that help children grow.”

Meanwhile, SNA said after meeting with White House officials on March 10 that the discussion was an opportunity for “open and honest” discussions about successful models in school meal programs, as well as the many challenges that school feeding programs face.

“To dispel misinformation about the program’s funding and portray it as a simplification of school nutrition operations, the debate opened the door and answered questions about the critical need for more resources to advance the goals of the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” SNA said in its announcement after the White House meeting.

As the USDA drafts its proposed changes to school nutrition standards to align with recent federal guidance’s focus on increasing protein and whole foods while reducing highly processed foods, SNA said, schools will need more funding to support scratch cooking and reduce their reliance on ultra-processed foods.

As part of this, the association called on Congress to increase funding for school meals and to protect and expand access to universal school meal programs, so the new changes in nutrition standards are achievable for schools.

In response to the March 9 letter, which also expressed concern about the financial limitations of the new standards on school meal programs, a USDA spokesperson indicated that reimbursement rates for school meals are set annually by the agency to keep pace with food costs. Consumer price index for meals away from home.