Food News

To save you time and share ideas that may improve your school food service program, we curate news stories on school meals and childhood nutrition.

Date	Title	Source
5/5/23	Unpaid meal debt totaled $19 million this school year	NewsNation
5/11/22	Updated school nutrition standards reduced weight gain in students from low-income families, study says	FoodService Director
4/24/24	Updates to the School Nutrition Standards	USDA Food and Nutrition Service
8/15/23	Updating school nutrition standards could save 10,600 lives per year	K-12 Dive
8/31/19	US attorney: States can't sue feds over lunch program changes	Education Dive
1/30/20	US government basically declares war on millions of school children	The Hill
4/1/21	US hunger crisis persists, especially for kids, older adults	AP News
10/20/22	US lawmakers seek soy milk option for schools	Louisiana Illuminator
11/6/23	US school milk supply at risk due to carton shortage	Fox News
6/30/22	USDA allocates $943M to help schools buy local foods	The Packer
12/5/23	USDA and FRAC award grant funding to improve federal child nutrition program access	FoodService Director
12/17/21	USDA announces $1.5 billion to aid schools rocked by inflation, supply chain disruptions	Washington Post
1/7/22	USDA announces 25 cent/lunch increase in school meal reimbursements	Food Management
7/21/19	USDA announces record funding for farm-to-school grants	The Packer
7/16/19	USDA Announces Record-Breaking Funding for 2019 Farm to School Grants	USDA
1/20/20	USDA Announces School and Summer Meals Reforms	USDA
3/9/21	USDA announces school meal waiver extension through summer as Secretary Vilsack addresses virtual SNA conference	Food Management
6/12/20	USDA Ensures All Kids Can Get Free Meals This Summer as Nation Reopens	USDA Food and Nutrition Service
4/4/23	USDA extends comment period for proposed changes to school nutrition standards	K-12 Dive
3/18/20	USDA Extends Comment Period on Proposed School and Summer Meal Reforms	USDA Food and Nutrition Service
8/31/20	USDA Extends Free Meals for Kids Through December 31, 2020	USDA
3/9/21	USDA Extends Free Meals to Children through Summer 2021 Due to Pandemic	USDA
4/20/21	USDA Extends School Meal Waivers: Good News for Students, Families, Schools	No Kid Hungry
9/1/20	USDA extends summer meal flexibilities to feed kids, eases burden on school districts	Food Management
4/20/21	USDA extends universal free lunch through next school year, bringing relief to millions of food-insecure families	Washington Post
5/18/20	USDA Extends Waivers to Help Schools Feed Hungry Kids During COVID-19 Closures	Education Week
6/29/20	USDA Gives Out $12.1 Million in Largest-Ever Farm to School Grant Awards	USDA Food and Nutrition Service
11/10/22	USDA hopes $50M can make school lunch more ‘appetizing,’ ‘appealing’	Fox News
9/23/22	USDA launches first phase of new $100M healthy school meals initiative	FoodService Director
11/11/22	USDA launches School Food System Transformation Challenge	FoodService Director
6/20/23	USDA looks to make final call on free meal expansion, school nutrition in April 2024	K-12 Dive
3/26/20	USDA Makes it Easier to Feed Kids and Those Who Need Food During the COVID-19 National Emergency	USDA Food and Nutrition Service
8/29/23	USDA modernizes oversight of child nutrition programs, including school meals	Food Navigator
2/10/22	USDA official discusses future of school meals	Civil Eats
2/7/23	USDA proposal could limit flavored milk in schools	Dairy Reporter
3/29/23	USDA proposes rules to expand access to free school lunches	Marketplace
6/25/20	USDA Provides Flexibilities to Ensure Kids Receive Meals This Fall	USDA Food and Nutrition Service
7/16/21	USDA Publishes New Reimbursement Rates for SY2021-22	Federal Register
8/1/23	USDA raises income requirements for free and reduced school lunch programs to keep up with inflation	Boise State Public Radio (Idaho)
10/16/19	USDA Recognizes Hard-Working School Meals Professionals, Empowers Them to Do Right in School Lunchrooms	USDA
2/24/23	USDA releases new state guidance on Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer plans for summer 2023	National Association of Counties
5/5/22	USDA releases updated nondiscrimination statement guidance	National CACFP Sponsors Organization
9/19/22	USDA report: Increased fruit and vegetable purchases followed school nutrition reform	The Packer
9/21/18	USDA Secretary Working to Empower Local School Leaders and Improve the School Meal Programs	USDA FNS
8/6/21	USDA seeks input on schools' "Buy American" rules	The Packer
9/29/21	USDA sends schools $1.5 billion to relieve student lunch crunch	CNN
4/4/24	USDA set to introduce final school meal standards	KUNM-FM (Albuquerque, NM)
8/26/20	USDA set to pull plug on school meal flexibilities at start of school year	Food Management
7/1/22	USDA to give school nutrition programs close to $1B in procurement aid	FoodService Director
6/27/23	USDA to give states nearly $1.3B to purchase school meals	K-12 Dive