House panel and USDA work to increase children’s access to healthier meals

The House Committee on Labor and Education is working on a bill to increase children’s access to meals titled “The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act.”

It expands community eligibility provisions, allowing more school districts to provide free meals and raises the reimbursement rate for lunch by $0.10. It also adds a commodity assistance rate to the school breakfast program at $0.06 per meal. Right now, the Senate Ag Committee is not considering a Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill.

The USDA recently added sorghum to its Food Buying Guide for child nutrition programs. This comes after they announced a new requirement of at least 80 percent of weekly grains in school lunches must be whole-grain rich.

The move is a big win for sorghum producers who say they are looking for a new way to market their crop.

Related:

USDA to Provide Local Food for School Meals

USDA looks to keep healthy meals in school with $1.5 billion in additional resources

USDA reports its “Meals to you” program will serve 5 million meals a week to rural children