Contact: Diane Pratt-Heavner, 703-576-7526, media@schoolnutrition.org
SNA Urges MAHA Commission to Invest in School Meals
The non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) issued the following in response to the May 22 MAHA Report, urging the MAHA Commission to increase funding for school meal programs to achieve its outlined goals:
Research shows school meals are the healthiest meals Americans eat, because they are required to include fruits, vegetables, milk and whole grains and meet limits on calories, sodium and fat. Despite extremely tight budgets and recent funding cuts, school nutrition professionals are already working to limit ultra-processed foods by increasing scratch cooking, serving more fresh, locally sourced foods and working to meet new caps on added sugar. School meal programs urgently need additional funding to manage high food costs and invest in the staffing, equipment, infrastructure and training required to expand scratch preparation.
School Nutrition Association welcomes the Commission’s invitation for all Americans to be part of the solution to support healthier children, pointing to the proven successes of school meal programs in these efforts. As the Commission prepares for the August release of its strategy, SNA urges robust investments to enable critical school meal programs to build on this progress.
A recent SNA survey revealed school meal programs are burdened by high costs and insufficient federal funding. SNA’s 2025 Position Paper calls for increased school meal reimbursement rates.
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
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