By JONEL ALECCIA (AP Health Writer)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced new nutrition standards that will bring changes to the nation’s school meals, with a focus on limiting added sugars for the first time.
The final rule also reduces the amount of sodium in kids’ meals, but not as much as the 30% proposed in 2023. first proposed in 2023. And it continues to allow flavored milks — such as chocolate milk — with less sugar, rather than adopting an option that would have offered only unflavored milk to the youngest kids.
The goal is to enhance nutrition and comply with U.S. dietary guidelines in the program that serves breakfasts to over 15 million students and lunches to almost 30 million students daily. at a cost of about $22.6 billion per year.
“All of this is designed to ensure that students have quality meals and that we meet parents’ expectations,” explained Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reporters.
The restrictions on added sugars will be implemented in the 2025-2026 school year, starting with high-sugar foods such as cereal, yogurt and flavored milk. By the fall of 2027, added sugars in school meals would be limited to no more than 10% of the total calories per week for breakfasts and lunches, in addition to limits on sugar in specific products.
Officials had proposed to reduce sodium in school meals by as much as 30% over the next several years. But after receiving mixed public comments and a directive from Congress included in the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill approved in March, the agency will reduce sodium levels allowed in breakfasts by 10% and in lunches by 15% by the 2027-2028 school year.
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