New Dems Rally Behind USDA School Meals Expansion

WASHINGTON — The New Democrat Coalition has thrown its support behind recent rule changes adopted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will help provide millions more children with school meals.

“Last year, as part of the New Democrat Coalition’s Action Plan to Fight Inflation, our members pushed the Biden administration and Congress to extend school and summer meal flexibilities to ensure no child goes hungry,” said Coalition Chair Annie Kuster, D-N.H., in a written statement.

“New Dems are thrilled to see the USDA’s action to help provide more school meals to low-income students across the country by lowering the threshold for the Community Eligibility Provision,” she continued.

“Now, it’s time for Congress to come together to provide the necessary funding to execute this plan and get us closer to ending child hunger in America,” Kuster added.

Earlier this month, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced several actions to expand support for and access to the school meal programs, including awarding $50 million in grants intended to increase collaboration between schools, food producers and suppliers, and other partners to develop nutritious, appetizing school meals for kids. 

The department also announced $10 million in grants for schools to expand nutrition education, as well as a proposed regulatory change to give more schools the option to provide healthy school meals to all students at no cost.

Speaking at an event at the Maplewood Elementary School  in Greeley, Colorado, Vilsack  said, “Continuing to make school meals healthier and available to more students are some of the best ways we can help our children thrive early in life.”

As part of the USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives initiative, Vilsack said the department is awarding $50 million to four organizations to manage the School Food System Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants:

• Boise State University
• Chef Ann Foundation
• Full Plates Full Potential
• Illinois Public Health Institute

These grants will foster innovation in the school food marketplace to get a wider variety of healthy, appealing foods into the marketplace and onto kids’ lunch trays, said Stacy Dean, deputy under secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services.

“USDA is taking a holistic approach to supporting school meal programs, which includes strengthening the food supply chain that supports them,” Dean continued, adding, “We’re hopeful that these grants will accelerate and expand innovation in the school food marketplace, so that schools — and ultimately our children — have better access to healthier food products.”

The USDA also announced that it has opened applications for up to $10 million in fiscal year 2023 Team Nutrition Training Grants, which support nutrition education for school-aged children. 

The grants will extend nutrition education efforts beyond the cafeteria, incorporating it into all parts of the school day and even enrichment activities outside of school. 

The resources also support another component of the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative by helping school districts introduce additional nutritious menu options, and eventually qualify for a Recognition Award.

Vilsack also revealed that the department is proposing a change that would give more schools the option to provide healthy school meals to all students at no cost. 

The rule would expand the number of schools eligible to opt into the Community Eligibility Provision, which could result in more children receiving tasty, nutritious school meals.

“Many schools and even some entire states have successfully provided free meals to all their students,” Vilsack said. “We applaud their leadership in nourishing children and hope this proposed change will make it possible for more schools and states to follow suit.”

Dan can be reached at dan@thewellnews.com and @DanMcCue