The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) rule for updating school nutrition standards is set to go into effect on July 1st. The USDA’s approved changes include new limits on added sugars and sodium in school meals, which are the largest driving costs in the rule. In fact, since the finalized regulation is expected to cost school districts an extra 3 cents per meal on average, according to a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, the CRS pointed out that the USDA has cited several available federal resources — including its Healthy Meals Incentives initiative and the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program — as possible funding sources to help ease the increase in cost.
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