On Wednesday, April 24, the Agriculture Department announced that the nutrition standards for school meals will update to reduce salts and sugars beginning in the fall of 2025. The act would reduce sodium levels 15 percent from 2027 school year and added sugars in cereals and yogurts would be limited from 2025.
The Biden Administration first introduced the proposal in February of 2023 to combat obesity, diabetes, and other diseases in schoolchildren. The New York Times states, “The guidelines, which would bring school meal programs up-to-date with federal dietary standards, would gradually limit sugar and salt while increasing foods with whole grains.” The plan was that by the 2027-28 school year, added sugars would constitute less than ten percent of calories in school meals, and that by the 2029-30 school year, sodium levels would reduce by a third.
A major component of the original proposal was the banning of sugars in flavored milk. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, flavored milk contributed most to the added sugar levels in school meals. Although the Department considered setting a ban on milk, the act was criticized as being too unrealistic, and dairy groups feared that such efforts threatened milk consumption in diets. In response to these concerns, the Agriculture Department moderated the rule to only limit added sugars in cereals and yogurts. Other foods would more gradually follow in later years.
But despite these changes, the new regulation has already sparked a debate. While many parents and nutritionists support the act and how it encourages healthier meals, critics are concerned that the changed meals may be less tasty and unwanted by students, resulting in more food waste.
“We are cringing, as it could result in changes across our menus,” Emma Anne Hallman, the child nutrition director for the Haleyville City School District, said for The Times. “We would have to look at the sodium amounts in the recipes of some of our students’ favorite foods, like chicken wings, hot wings or even some of the Asian foods.” According to The Times, Tyson Foods—a school lunch company providing chicken, pork, and beef—said that limiting salt in meals may reduce the days they can offer popular school meals involving meat.
In search of replacements for sodium in school meals, companies such as Tyson Foods have been experimenting with different spices. But with America’s inflation rates growing in recent years, school meals have already become harder to produce at low costs. The changed nutrition standards and their restrictions on the use of salt have only worsened the situation. Compared to proposed alternatives, salt is much more affordable and cost-effective for school districts.
Although the Agriculture Department’s new act successfully addresses the emerging health crisis among students, many issues are left unsettled. As of now, the act’s guidelines threaten the budget school districts have to provide affordable meals, adding onto the already strained situation. With increasing concerns from critics, changes may be made to make the law more realistic; but for next year, students can expect less sweetness in their cafeteria-bought cereal cups.
