On Friday, U.S. agricultural authorities recommended new nutrition standards for school meals, putting the first limitations on added sugars in items including cereals, yogurt, flavored milk, and morning pastries.
In addition to loosening up the regulations on whole grain goods, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s proposal revealed today aims to drastically reduce salt in the meals supplied to the nation’s schoolchildren by 2029.
More than 15 million children receive breakfast from the program every day, and almost 30 million receive lunch, so according to Vilsack, the objective is to increase nutrition and match with U.S. dietary requirements.
According to an interview Vilsack gave, “school meals happen to be the meals with the best nutritious content of any meal that children may have outside of the house.”
Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, high-sugar foods such sweetened cereals, yogurts, and flavored milks would be subject to the first statutory limitations on added sugars.
For example, an 8-ounce serving of chocolate milk would be limited to no more than 10 grams of sugar under the new guidelines. In fact, the quantity of sugar in certain flavored milks has doubled in recent years. Plan participants are also restricted to no more than two weekly servings of sweet grain treats like muffins or doughnuts.
In the autumn of 2027, the percentage of calories from added sugars in school breakfasts and lunches will be capped at less than 10%.
Under the plan, by the start of the 2029 school year, 30 percent less salt will be served in the cafeteria. They would be gradually lowered to meet government standards that advise limiting salt intake to 2,300 milligrams a day for adults and less for children.
