Breaking News on Better School Meals
Plus, we have a very special guest for our farmers market webinar on Monday
White House Upgrades School Food Rules
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) broke news this morning with the release of the Biden administration’s new federal rules aimed at improving the healthfulness and quality of the food served in schools to millions of the nation’s children.
The new rules amount to significant reductions in the amounts of sugar (including in dairy products and cereal) and setting overall weekly limits; reducing salt by phasing in a new weekly limit; and better enabling schools to provide protein-rich and low-to-no-sugar breakfast choices, while maintaining current rules that encourage the use of whole grains in kids’ meals.
But there was one particular item in the new rules that caught Local Food Forum’s attention, because of its potential to accelerate the growth of farm-to-school programs.
Also starting in Fall 2024, schools have the option to require unprocessed agricultural products to be locally grown, raised or caught when making purchases for school meal programs, making it easier for schools to buy local foods.
Yes, when the federal government facilitates sales by local farmers to their local schools, it has our complete attention.
And to benefit U.S. farmers overall, starting in fall 2025, schools will have limits on the percentage of non-domestic grown and produced foods they can purchase, which will enhance the role of American farmers, producers, fishers, and ranchers in providing nutritious foods to schools.
Let’s bask in that while we share our own big news about our special guest at Monday’s next “Better” Dialogues webinar, with the topic of the developing outdoor farmers market season in our region. Then keep scrolling for the details in the USDA press release, and learn about the Experimental Station’s Sunday fundraising event and all…that…jazz!
Farmers Market Legend Laura Avery Joins Our Webinar
Our next Local Food Forum’s “Better” Dialogues webinar takes place in just FIVE days (Monday, April 29) at 7 p.m. central. And we have great news about a special guest.
We have confirmed that Laura Avery, a true legend in the farmers market world, will be joining our lineup of guest experts for a conversation with “Better” Dialogues co-host Chef Sarah Stegner — who was a founding Board member of Green City Market in 1999 and continues to be active in the market’s activities today.
Laura became manager of the Santa Monica Farmers Market adjacent to Los Angeles in 1982, a year after its founding, and at a time when there were just more than 1,000 farmers markets across the entire country. Over her following 36 years as manager, Laura played the leading role in growing the Santa Monica market from 23 farmers and a relative handful of shoppers to roughly 130 farmers and throngs of attendees.
Her work also influenced the more than seven-fold rise in the number of U.S. farmers markets, including Chicago’s Green City Market when it was started 25 years ago by Abby Mandel, a chef and Good Food activist.
Both Laura and Sarah have both played major roles in helping stimulate the growth of local food cultures both in Chicago and across the nation. This will surely be a memorable conversation.
After their chat, Sarah and I will briefly discuss what we’ve seen in the season’s earliest markets and what to expect in May, as openings surge and the region’s outdoor growing season hits stride. We then will engage with the rest of our amazing guests:
Janelle St. John, executive director of Chicago’s Growing Home Inc. non-profit
Alex Finn of Michigan’s Finn’s Ranch
Kyle Jacobson of Illinois’ Jacobson Family Farms
Matthew Ruffi, who heads up the Link Up Illinois program — run by the Experimental Station non-profit — that provides financial support for markets’ “Link Match” programs, and also organizes Chicago’s Uptown Farmers Market (in his role as president of the Chicago Market co-op grocery project)
Don’t miss out on this lively and informative webinar.
All the Details on the New School Food Rules
The following is the full announcement of the Biden administration’s policy changes to improves the healthfulness and quality of the school food serves to millions of our nation’s children (partially excerpted for length).
I’m sure many in our community will ask “Why Not More?” and “Why Not Faster?” But having spent 30 years covering government in Washington, D.C., I know — to paraphrase the ancient saying — that the wheels of politics turn slowly, but every now and then they grind exceedingly fine. There’s a lot of good stuff in here to digest.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces New School Meal Standards to Strengthen Child Nutrition
Gradual implementation of nutrition updates, to include less sugar, set to begin in Fall 2025
WASHINGTON, April 24, 2024 – Today, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced major steps to promote the health of America’s children through school meals. Nutrition standards for school meals will be gradually updated to include less sugar and flexibility with menu planning between fall 2025 and fall 2027.
The Department arrived at these changes after listening closely to public feedback and considering the latest science-based recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The new rule continues the work of the Biden-Harris administration to address both food and nutrition security.
K-12 schools serve nutritious breakfasts and lunches to nearly 30 million children every school day. These meals are the main source of nutrition for more than half of these children and help improve child health.
“We all share the goal of helping children reach their full potential,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Like teachers, classrooms, books, and computers, nutritious school meals are an essential part of the school environment, and when we raise the bar for school meals, it empowers our kids to achieve greater success inside and outside of the classroom. Expanding on this major milestone, the Biden-Harris administration will continue to partner with schools, districts, states and industry to build on the extraordinary progress made to strengthen school meals.”
The final rule previewed today is a significant step toward advancing the administration’s national strategy to end hunger and reduce diet-related disease by 2030 set forth at the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health in September 2022.
“The new standards build on the great progress that school meals have made already and address remaining challenges — including reducing sugar in school breakfasts. These updates also make it easier for schools to access locally sourced products, benefiting both schools and the local economy,” said USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Cindy Long.
Key updates to the nutrition standards to support healthy kids include:
Added Sugars
For the first time, added sugars will be limited in school meals nationwide, with small changes happening by fall 2025 and full implementation by fall 2027. USDA heard concerns from parents and teachers about excessive amounts of added sugars in some foods, which factored into this new limit. Research shows that these added sugars are most commonly found in typical school breakfast items. Child care operators will also begin limiting added sugars in cereals and yogurts — rather than total sugars — by fall 2025.
Milk
Schools can continue to offer flavored and unflavored milk, which provide essential nutrients that children need, such as calcium, vitamin D and potassium. There will be a new limit on added sugars in flavored milk served at breakfast and lunch by fall 2025. Thirty-seven school milk processors – representing more than 90% of the school milk volume nationwide – have already committed to providing nutritious school milk options that meet this limit on added sugars.
Sodium
Schools will need to slightly reduce sodium content in their meals by fall 2027. In response to public comments, USDA is only requiring one sodium reduction, and not the three incremental reductions that were proposed last year. This change still moves our children in the right direction and gives schools and industry the lead time they need to prepare. The sodium limits in this final rule will be familiar to schools, as they were supported by leading school nutrition and industry stakeholders during previous rulemaking activities in 2017 and 2018.
Whole Grains
Current nutrition standards for whole grains will not change. Schools will continue to offer students a variety of nutrient-rich whole grains and have the option to offer some enriched grains to meet students’ cultural and taste preferences.
Supporting Other Food Preferences
While not a new requirement, starting in fall 2024 it will be easier for schools to serve protein-rich breakfast foods such as yogurt, tofu, eggs, nuts, and seeds, which can help reduce sugary food options, while also supporting vegetarian diets and other food preferences.
Supporting Local Food Purchases
Also starting in fall 2024, schools have the option to require unprocessed agricultural products to be locally grown, raised or caught when making purchases for school meal programs, making it easier for schools to buy local foods.
Additionally, starting in fall 2025, schools will have limits on the percentage of non-domestic grown and produced foods they can purchase, which will enhance the role of American farmers, producers, fishers, and ranchers in providing nutritious foods to schools.
For more information about how school meals will be strengthened, see these resources:
Infographic – Overview of Key Updates to School Nutrition Standards
Infographic – Implementation Timeline for Key Updates to School Nutrition Standards
What’s Staying the Same
School meals will continue to emphasize fruits and vegetables; whole grains; and give kids the right balance of many nutrients for healthy, tasty meals. School nutrition professionals are local experts in their communities and will continue serving meals that their students want to eat, while also prioritizing cultural and religious food preferences.
School Districts Empowered to Meet Updated Standards
Today’s announcement comes a few weeks after the Spring 2024 Heathy Meals Summit in St. Louis, Mo., where hundreds of school nutrition professionals gathered to celebrate and share their innovative efforts to enhance the nutritional quality of school meals. As part of USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, 264 small and rural school districts each received up to $150,000 to equip them with the resources to improve their meal service operations and help them meet these updated nutrition standards.
Through the School Food System Transformation Challenge Grants, the initiative is also supporting innovation in the school meals market by increasing collaboration between schools, food producers and suppliers, and other partners.
Additional Background on School Nutrition Standards
The Biden-Harris administration and USDA are dedicated to supporting the school nutrition programs. While schools bounced back from the pandemic, the Department provided them more purchasing power to buy American foods and opportunities for enhanced grant programs for updating equipment, product innovation, staff training and farm to school efforts that serve the needs of their local school districts.
To learn about more ways USDA is investing in school meal programs, see the Support for Schools webpage.
Experimental Station’s Jazzy Fundraiser Sunday
Experimental Station is the non-profit that focuses strongly on increasing food access for underserved individuals and communities. It administers the Link Up Illinois program (led by Matthew Ruffi, a guest panelist on Monday’s Local Food Forum webinar) supporting markets’ Link Match programs that assist food assistance benefits recipients. It also runs the 61st Street Farmers Market located on the border of the South Side’s Woodlawn and Hyde Park neighborhoods.
In order to carry out this work and more, Experimental Station relies heavily on financial contributions from those who support its mission. And this Sunday (April 28), from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. central, the organization is holding a Sounds Like Jazz fundraising event.
The fundraiser, curated by musical artist and social entrepreneur Sam Thousand, features an evening of musical, magical and poetic performances. There will be hors d’oeuvres and light dinner fare.
Click the button below to learn more and buy tickets.