The proposed rule - Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans - is the next step in an ongoing effort toward healthier school meals that USDA and the broader school meals community have been partnering on for well over a decade.
As noted in the proposed rule, USDA intends to finalize the rule in 2024. This table is a reference tool for stakeholders to visualize what changes may be in effect by school year, as proposed. The proposed rule would not require program operators to make changes to current meal patterns in SY 2024-25. As proposed, new requirements to the school meal patterns would begin SY 2025-26, at the earliest. USDA welcomes your feedback on the proposed standards, including the implementation timeline. You can submit comments through May 10, 2023.
Proposed Implementation Dates
✓ indicates proposed implementation date
blank cells indicate no changes/no new requirements.
Proposed Requirements | SY 2024-25 |
SY 2025-26 |
SY 2026-27 |
SY 2027-28 |
SY 2028-29 |
SY 2029-30 |
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Added Sugars | ||||||
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✓ | |||||
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✓ | |||||
Milk (only one of the two options below will be finalized) | ||||||
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✓ | |||||
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No implementation date needed; schools would continue with current requirement. | |||||
Whole Grains (only one of the two options below will be finalized) | ||||||
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No implementation date needed; schools would continue with current requirement. | |||||
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If implemented, USDA would consider stakeholder comments regarding implementation dates. | |||||
Sodium | ||||||
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Continue sodium target 1A from transitional final rule | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
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Continue sodium target 1 from transitional final rule | ✓ | ✓ |
2 Whole grain-rich, as explained in FNS guidance, means that “the grain content of a product is between 50% and 100% whole grain with any remaining grains being enriched.” In other words, the term whole grain-rich describes the content within a product is 50-100% whole grains. By comparison, the term whole grain means a product contains all or 100% of the original kernel.