The School Cafeteria Foods that Survived, and the Ones that Vanished
Whole milk is returning, but schools still must meet calorie, sodium and added-sugar limits under the updated federal meal pattern.
- On January 14, 2026, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act became law, allowing schools to offer whole and 2% milk again after a 13-year exclusion from the National School Lunch Program.
- President Harry Truman signed the National School Lunch Act in 1946 to feed children and provide farmers a market for surplus crops, establishing a program that has since delivered nearly 246 billion lunches.
- The $9.5 billion school food industry has long shaped menu standards through lobbying; Schwan, a Minnesota company, held 70% market share in frozen pizza, a product that has repeatedly survived removal attempts.
- California awarded $145 million in Kitchen Infrastructure and Training grants in 2025, yet the World Wildlife Fund reports elementary students waste nearly 40% more food than older students, discarding an average of 21 pounds of unopened milk daily.
- The USDA is writing new standards aligned with 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines, with a cap on added sugars across the entire week's meals taking effect in July 2027, tightening restrictions begun in July 2025.
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The school cafeteria foods that survived, and the ones that vanished
The USDA National School Lunch program has provided nearly 246 billion lunches since the establishment of the federal Food and Nutrition Service, now Food and ... Read moreThe post The school cafeteria foods that survived, and the ones that vanished…
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