Proposed Implementation Timeline for Nutrition Standards

Resource type

Technical Assistance

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 2027-28	SY 2029-30
Added Sugars
Product-based limits		✓
Weekly limit (≤10% weekly calories from added sugars for both lunch and breakfast programs)			✓
Milk (only one of the two options below will be finalized)
Alternative A Allow flavored milk for high school children only (grades 9-12) ¹		✓
Alternative B All schools may offer flavored milk varieties (low-fat and fat-free)	No implementation date needed; schools would continue with current requirement.
Whole Grains (only one of the two options below will be finalized)
Maintain current requirement: at least 80% whole grain-rich ²	No implementation date needed; schools would continue with current requirement.
Days per week model (4 days whole grain-rich, 1 day enriched grains)	If implemented, USDA would consider stakeholder comments regarding implementation dates.
Sodium
Lunch: 10% reduction (occurs in each year with ✓ )	Continue sodium target 1A from transitional final rule	✓	✓	✓
Breakfast: 10% reduction (occurs in each year with ✓ )	Continue sodium target 1 from transitional final rule	✓	✓

¹ USDA is requesting input on whether to allow flavored milk for children in grades 6-8 as well as high school children (grades 9-12).
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.