USDA Proposed Rule for School Meals

Floor Speech

* Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to highlight and submit for the record my concerns regarding new costs for schools who serve primarily low-income children in a proposed rule, issued on January 13, 2011, to establish revised meal pattern and nutritional requirements for the National School Breakfast & Lunch Program. I commend the commitment to improving the nutritional profile of school meals. However, the proposed rule could have a significant effect on local schools that serve a high percentage of low-income children.

* The preamble to the proposed rule indicates that it would increase the cost of serving school meals by $6.8 billion over the next five years--an increase of 14 cents per lunch and 50 cents per breakfast. With less than half of the increased cost for lunches and none of the increased cost for breakfast to be offset by increased federal reimbursements, the economic consequences of such large cost increases is a matter of great concern. Many of our local schools do not have resources that may be diverted to meet such large cost increases. Especially, considering the fact that the majority of the dollars that are supposed to be diverted for this cost increase would come from paid meals. Schools that serve a high percentage of low-income kids have little or no kids actually purchasing meals. Most children fed in these schools receive free or reduced priced meals.

* School nutrition programs play a vital role in the healthy development of America's children. For many low-income children, the best, if not all, of their nutrition comes from the school breakfast and lunch programs. I sent a letter to Secretary Vilsack on October 12 2011, with 14 of my colleagues, to request that the final rule not adversely affect the budgets of local schools feeding the highest percentages of low-income children. The letter also urges the Secretary to prioritize the accessibility of school nutrition program improvements to all children.

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