When students line up for breakfast and lunch next school year, they’ll still get most of the same meals they’re used to, but those items will be modified, meaning products with less sugar and salt.
The new policy, put in place by the USDA, will require all schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to limit the amount of added sugars and salt in the food and milk they serve.
While the new rules are in effect now, schools can use this year as a training year to get acclimated to the changes. By next school year, cereal, yogurt, and flavored milk will have to have limits on the number of added sugars in them. By 2027, weekly dietary limits will be implemented, meaning limiting added sugars to less than 10% of calories across the week.
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“We’ve also been working really hard with food producers big and small that sell school meals to really encourage them to develop and make available tasty products that have less sugar and less sodium and I’m really pleased to say that many are stepping up,” said Cindy Long, USDA’s Deputy Under Secretary for Food Nutrition and Consumer Services.
To learn more about the new requirements, click here.
