WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Friday it would update its school nutrition standards, pushing school districts to serve lower sodium, higher whole grain meals as it anticipates a post-pandemic world.
As districts across the country closed in the spring of 2020, cafeteria workers and volunteers mobilized to produce bagged lunches for students learning remotely. In a Friday press release, the department said, "USDA is giving schools time to transition from current, pandemic operations, toward more nutritious meals."
Highlighting a shift back to Obama-era nutrition priorities, the announcement stated that beginning in the 2022-23 school year, schools must follow these requirements:
- Schools may offer flavored 1% and skim milk.
- At least 80% of the grains served in school lunch and breakfast each week must be whole grain-rich.
Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, the department will require:
- The school lunch sodium limit will decrease 10%, to just over 3,000mg per student per day.
All other standards will remain what they were at the last update in 2012.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack is quoted in the announcement as saying this will be step one of a long-term strategy.
"We’ve got to find the right balance between standards that give our kids the best chance at a healthy future based on the latest nutrition science," he wrote. "And ensuring those standards are practical, built to last, and work for everyone.”
US school districts will not be expected to make adjustments during the remainder of the 2021-22 school year.
