NORFOLK, Va. — Schools across America, including right here in Hampton Roads, will soon be making nutritional changes under a new directive from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
USDA officials announced an overhaul of the nation’s nutrition standards on Wednesday. Part of the makeover for school meals includes limiting added sugars in food and drinks for the first time.
The goal is to improve nutrition and align with U.S. dietary guidelines in the program that serves breakfast to more than 15 million children and lunch to nearly 30 million children every day, according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“School meals happen to be the meals with the highest nutritional value of any meal that children can get outside the home,” Vilsack said in an interview.
A major source of the sugars involved is found in school breakfasts... things like syrup and one of the most well-known lunchroom staples: milk. Specifically, chocolate milk.
Schools aren’t getting rid of chocolate milk, but 90% of its school suppliers have already committed to complying with the new rules, meaning chocolate milk will have less sugar in it moving forward.
The new standards will also limit sodium, and the guidelines factored in feedback from more than 130,000 public comments and input from state agencies, school districts, and advocacy groups.
You will start seeing slight changes starting next school year. Under the new directive, by 2027, added sugars can't account for more than 10% of a student's weekly calorie intake.
Under the plan, for instance, an 8-ounce container of chocolate milk could contain no more than 10 grams of sugar. Some popular flavored milk now contain twice that amount. The plan also limits sugary grain desserts, such as muffins or doughnuts, to no more than twice a week at breakfast.