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New School Meal Standards Reduce Sugar in Years Ahead

New School Meal Standards Reduce Sugar in Years Ahead

Nutrition standards for meals in South Durham schools should see less sugar and more flexibility with menu planning between Fall 2025 and 2027 due to steps taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Tom Vilsack, secretary of the USDA, announced changes this week after the department heard public feedback and considered science-based recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“We all share the goal of helping children reach their full potential,” Vilsack said in a news release. “Like teachers, classrooms, books, and computers, nutritious school meals are an essential part of the school environment, and when we raise the bar for school meals, it empowers our kids to achieve greater success inside and outside of the classroom. Expanding on this major milestone, the Biden-Harris Administration will continue to partner with schools, districts, states, and industry to build on the extraordinary progress made to strengthen school meals.”

Updates to the nutrition standards, which should support healthier children, include:

Also, in Fall 2025, schools will have limits on the percentage of non-domestic grown and produced foods they can purchase.