The USDA will issue regulations to limit added sugar in ingredients served in school meals commencing during the 2025-2026 school year. This will be accomplished by serving meals including grain-based desserts, breakfast cereals, yogurt and flavored milk. Added sugar consumed over a school week will be limited to ten percent of caloric content.

The initiative is supported by the American Heart Association that stated, “Added sugars are a significant source of excess calories, provide no nutritional value and may cause weight gain and increase risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other chronic health conditions”.

The USDA is providing a number of options one of which will allow flavored milk for all grades or alternatively restrict this item from kindergarten through fifth grade. The USDA is also considering regulations for grains.  At present 80 percent of weekly grains must be whole grain-rich.  One option offered by USDA would be to maintain the current regulation.  The alternative is to require all grains to meet the requirement on four out of five days each week.

USDA proposes a ten percent reduction in sodium for the 2025-2026 school year and an incremental ten percent reduction over the following year.

Stacy Dean Deputy Undersecretary for the USDA Food Nutrition and Consumer Services stated, “We are proposing these changes now to build in plenty of time for planning and collaboration with all of our school nutrition partners.

The proposed changes are predictably opposed by the School Nutrition Association that regards the rules as unrealistic.  There is concern that school meal program directors will be unable to offer menu options that comply with mandates for low sodium, reduced sugar and low fat.

This is an opportunity for the AEB Egg Nutrition Center to promote eggs for school feeding by developing menus that comply with USDA guidelines and containing eggs.