The United States Department of Agriculture is modifying school meal rules to give providers more flexibility to determine what food will be served.
After receiving feedback from dietary professionals, the USDA announced last week that the new policy would build on 2018 reforms preserving strong nutritional standards while reducing feed waste.
The increased flexibility will allow school meal providers to offer more vegetable varieties, allow for more customized breakfast options, and make it easier to offer school lunch entrées for a la carte purchase. The administrative review process will also be streamlined.
This change will also impact the Summer Food Service Program which helps nearly three million children during the summer months.