Dive Brief:
- The top three challenges school nutrition directors say they faced entering this school year include increasing costs, staff shortages and menu item shortages, according to survey findings released Tuesday by the School Nutrition Association.
- As of last fall, SNA found accumulated debt of $17.73 million among a total of 808 districts. The median debt from unpaid meals rose by 5.8%, from $5,164 to $5,495 per school nutrition program between November 2022 and November 2023.
- Nearly 92% of school nutrition directors expressed serious or moderate concern over the financial sustainability of their programs within the next three years.
Dive Insight:
From universal school meals to pending federal regulations on school nutrition standards, the latest SNA survey provides a glimpse at school nutrition directors’ views on these pressing issues.
As a majority of surveyed school nutrition directors shared their concerns about the financial longevity of their school meal programs, 99% said they dealt with increasing costs, 90% had staff shortages and 87% saw menu item shortages.
These findings come as efforts ramped up at the state and federal levels in 2023 to provide free school meals to all students.
For instance, in September the U.S. Department of Agriculture finalized a rule that increased eligibility to about 3,000 school districts to serve free breakfasts and lunches through changes in the Community Eligibility Provision. The program allows all students in a low-income school or district to receive free meals without requiring families to fill out applications.
Still, many advocates continue to push for a nationwide program to provide free school meals to all students, regardless of income.
When a temporary federal universal school meal policy implemented by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic expired in June 2022, more states began to implement their own versions. As of November, eight states had passed permanent policies to ensure all students get free meals, according to the Food Research and Action Center.
Along with calling for universal school meals for all students, SNA has urged Congress to raise federal school meal reimbursement rates by 40 cents per lunch and 15 cents per breakfast to continue current nutrition standards instead of implementing additional rules.
Of the 1,343 school nutrition directors surveyed, 59% said their programs offer universal free breakfast, and 49% offer universal free lunch.
While SNA has called for maintaining school nutrition standards, the USDA is expected to release a final rule in April that would gradually reduce sodium and added sugars served in school meals between 2024 and 2029. The SNA survey finds a majority of school nutrition directors have concerns over implementing this proposed update to nutrition guidelines.
For instance, 90% of respondents reported significant or moderate challenges with finding foods that meet current sodium limits but are widely accepted by students, and 99% expressed concern over further sodium limits in the proposed nutrition guidance.
A key barrier for districts may be driven by logistical challenges, particularly supply chain woes, according to a USDA survey released last fall.
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