Monthly Newsletter: February 2023

USDA's Proposed Rule on Child Nutrition Standards Includes BIG Wins for Farm to School!

We are excited to announce that several of NFSN’s longtime policy priorities were adopted in the USDA’s recently proposed rule to update child nutrition program standards!  

For many years, the National Farm to School Network has advocated for policies that make it easier for schools to purchase local food, eliminate barriers to equitable implementation and improve the health of students. Here’s a quick summary of our priorities that were included in the proposal: 

• Buying Local: Historically, school nutrition operators have been required to choose the cheapest bid possible when purchasing food, which made it difficult to prioritize buying local foods. NFSN has championed for removing this administrative barrier to local purchasing. We are excited to see that the new USDA rule would do just that—it proposes allowing “locally grown, raised, or caught” to be used as procurement specifications within a competitive bid process. This language almost exactly mirrors the local purchasing language in the Kids Eat Local Act marker bill that NFSN has developed. 
• Equity Strides: The proposed rule seeks input on two regulations on traditional foods and menu planning, specifically around how the child nutrition program can better support the incorporation of Tribal and traditional foods and community needs for Native students. It explicitly clarifies that traditional foods may be served as part of a reimbursable school meal and establishes that the definition of “traditional foods” refers to a “food that has traditionally been prepared and consumed by an [American] Indian Tribe.” The rule also would allow Tribally operated schools to substitute vegetables to meet the grain requirement. 
• Better Career Access: The proposed rule would allow medium and large school food authorities to substitute 10 years of school nutrition program experience for a bachelor’s or associate’s degree. The current Professional Standards for medium and large districts participating in federal child nutrition programs require a degree. USDA hopes that this change will ease difficulties in hiring and increase professional career pathways in school nutrition. USDA is especially looking to hear from school nutrition professionals about the possible consequences of this change.

How will this new proposal impact farm to school? 
As it stands, the proposed rule for child nutrition standards would make it much easier for school nutrition operators to purchase from local farmers and suppliers. It would also make important strides in improving equity and nutrition for school meals. This is a big step forward for farm to school programs across the nation! 

What’s next? 
Currently, the USDA is actively seeking input on the proposed rule from child nutrition professionals, parents and families, students, educators, and vendors/producers in the school food supply chain by April 10, 2023. USDA will use this feedback to create a “durable rule” that will take effect starting in the 2024-2025 school year. View a chart outlining the proposed changes here; read the full proposed rule here.

The proposed changes are the culmination of years of hard work—thank you to our partners, staff, advisory board members and community leaders across the country who have supported this work.