ARLINGTON, VA – The non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) urged Congress to ensure school meal programs are equipped to successfully implement recommendations outlined in the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs).
“School nutrition programs are where the vision of the DGAs becomes reality for the 30 million children eating school meals each day,” said SNA President Stephanie Dillard, MS, SNS. “Congress has a tremendous opportunity to improve the health of America by investing resources to help schools expand scratch cooking, serve more fresh, local foods and further positive momentum in cafeterias. SNA looks forward to working with the Administration to update school meal standards and provide consistent federal rules that benefit students nationwide.”
School meals are required to meet federal nutrition standards aligned with the DGAs. Under current standards, meals already include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk and protein, and limit calories, sodium and added-sugar, with additional sodium and added-sugar reductions effective in July 2027.
The new DGAs also recommend reducing consumption of highly processed foods. Yesterday, SNA released the SY 2025-26 School Nutrition Trends Report, detailing extensive financial and operational challenges for school meal programs already working to further expand scratch cooking and reduce reliance on ultra-processed food (UPFs).
In SNA’s survey of school meal program directors nationwide:
- Virtually all respondents (99%) reported needing more funding, with 79% expressing an “extreme need” for increased funds to further expand scratch cooking and reduce reliance on ultra-processed food (UPFs).
-
- 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.
SNA’s 2026 Position Paper urges Congress to increase funds for school meal programs and ensure updates to school nutrition standards are operationally feasible for schools. SNA will provide feedback to USDA throughout the rulemaking process to align school meal regulations with the new DGA recommendations.
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.
Related Articles
