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Contact: Diane Pratt-Heavner

703-576-7526

media@schoolnutrition.org

2026-01-06

ARLINGTON, VA – A new School Nutrition Association (SNA) report details extensive financial and operational challenges for school meal programs working to further expand scratch cooking and reduce reliance on ultra-processed food (UPFs). As the Administration prepares to release updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans, expected to recommend limiting consumption of UPFs, SNA’s 2026 Position Paper urges Congress to increase funds for school meal programs to achieve these goals and ensure any new rules are operationally feasible.

“School nutrition professionals are at the frontlines, instilling principles for lifelong healthy eating   among America’s children – schools are the only place required to serve meals based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” said SNA President Stephanie Dillard, MS, SNS. “Congress must step up to ensure schools have the funding and resources to build on their successes and effectively implement changes to school nutrition standards.”

SNA’s SY 2025-26 School Nutrition Trends Report, an analysis of survey responses from 1,240 school meal program directors nationwide, reveals numerous challenges to ongoing efforts to expand scratch preparation and reduce reliance on ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

  • Virtually all respondents (99%) reported needing more funding, with 79% expressing an “extreme need” for increased funds to achieve these goals.
    • Respondents also cited needing more staff (94%), culinary training (95%), equipment and infrastructure (94%).
  • Nearly all respondents reported their programs are challenged by the cost of food (98%), labor (95%) and equipment (95%).
    • Compared to last year’s survey, the percentage of respondents citing “significant” challenges with food, labor and equipment costs have all increased.

School meal programs have always operated on tight budgets. For about $4.70 – less than the average price of a latte – schools must prepare a complete, nutritious lunch and cover labor, supplies, equipment and all other costs. However, survey results indicate intensifying financial pressures for programs:

  • 70% of respondents reported the reimbursement rate is insufficient to cover the cost of producing a school lunch, up from 64% in School Year (SY) 2023-24.
  • More than half (51%) expressed “serious concern” about the financial sustainability of their program in three years, up from 45% in SY 2023-24.

Despite the funding crunch, research shows school meals are the healthiest meals Americans eat due to current federal school nutrition standards. As school nutrition professionals work to make further improvements:

  • Almost three-quarters (73%) of responding school meal programs are working to offer more local foods with school meals.
  • 71% reported offering scratch prepared entrees on at least a weekly basis.

Survey data also indicated that offering free meals to all students through the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or state or local initiatives bolsters the financial health of school meal programs:

  • Programs offering free meals to all indicated that reimbursement rates are sufficient to cover the cost of producing a lunch at a rate almost 2.5 times higher than programs that must charge for meals.
  • Meanwhile, programs that must charge for school meals cited “serious concern” about the financial sustainability of their school nutrition programs three years from now at a significantly higher rate (10 percentage points) than programs offering free meals to all.

Upcoming changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid under HR 1 will cut the number of children automatically certified for free and reduced-price school meals, forcing schools off of CEP. SNA’s 2026 Position Paper also urges Congress to protect and expand access to free school meals.

In March, school nutrition professionals from across the country will meet with their Members of Congress to discuss the 2026 Position Paper, as part of SNA’s 54th annual Legislative Action Conference (LAC).

SNA’s SY 2025-26 School Nutrition Trends Report also includes data on school meal prices, unpaid student meal debt, other menu trends and operational challenges for meal programs.

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 http://www.SchoolNutrition.org/SchoolMeals. 

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