SNA Informs White House on Program Realities

SNA Informs White House on Program Realities
Citing examples from school kitchens, SNA shares facts on successes & challenges

WASHINGTON, DC, March 10 – School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) Board of Directors met with MAHA advisor Calley Means and Administration officials today to share feedback, insights and facts on US school nutrition programs to correct misconceptions targeting school meal quality. To shift focus toward the shared goals of nourishing 30 million children each school day with healthy meals, school nutrition program directors and stakeholders detailed out various real-life scenarios and realities to represent operational and financial obstacles their colleagues too often face. The meeting provided opportunity for open and honest discussion about the many models of success being achieved in school meal programs while recognizing bona fide challenge areas hampering far too many schools in the effort.

To dispel misinformation about program funding and the depiction of school nutrition operations as simplistic, the discussion opened communication and addressed questions about the dire need for increased resources to further advance goals of the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs).

Meanwhile, 850 school nutrition professionals from across the country met with Congressional representatives as part of SNA’s Legislative Action Conference in Washington, D.C., to share their experiences and urge more funding for school food, equipment, labor expenses, training and resources.

“School nutrition professionals are eager to build on successes and expand the exemplary work we know is possible with proper investments of time and money,” said SNA President Stephanie Dillard, MS, SNS. “We appreciate the open dialogue today and are hopeful for a productive path forward together. We will continue to work with the USDA, Congress and the White House to ensure schools receive necessary support to bring us even more in line with the new DGAs.”

Under current school nutrition standards, meals already include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk and protein, and limit calories, sodium and added-sugar, with additional reductions effective in July 2027. USDA is drafting proposed changes to these standards to align with new DGA recommendations that emphasize protein, whole foods and reducing highly processed foods.

SNA’s SY 2025-26 School Nutrition Trends Survey found virtually all (99%) responding school meal program directors reported needing more funding, with 79% expressing an “extreme need” for increased funds to further expand scratch cooking and reduce reliance on ultra-processed foods. In the 2026 Position Paper, SNA urges Congress to increase school meal funding, protect and expand access to healthy school meals for all students and to ensure updates to school nutrition standards are operationally feasible for schools.

About School Nutrition Association:
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing 50,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students.  For more information on school meals, visit www.SchoolNutrition.org/SchoolMeals.