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This rule finalized long-term school nutrition standards based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, and feedback that USDA received from child nutrition program stakeholders through an extensive stakeholder engagement campaign. The revisions make school meals more nutritious and more consistent with the goals of the most recent Dietary Guidelines, as required by statute. In addition, this rule addressed the Buy American provision, which requires school food authorities to purchase, to the maximum extent practicable, domestic commodities or products for use in the school meal programs. This rulemaking impacts schools that participate in the school meal programs, and for certain rule provisions, facilities and institutions that participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and sponsors that participate in the Summer Food Service Program. This rulemaking also impacts participants who receive meals and snacks through the child nutrition programs. USDA received stakeholder input on this rulemaking prior to publishing the proposed rule. Throughout 2022, USDA held over 50 listening sessions with State agencies, school food authorities, advocacy organizations, Tribal stakeholders, professional associations, food manufacturers, and other Federal agencies to inform the proposed rule. USDA also received extensive input through public comments on the proposed rule. Through this stakeholder engagement, USDA gained valuable insights into the successes and challenges that schools experience implementing the school meal nutrition standards and used this information to develop a practical and durable final rule.

While this rulemaking takes effect school year 2024-2025, the Department is gradually phasing in required changes over time. Program operators are not required to make any changes to their menus as a result of this rulemaking until school year 2025-2026 at the earliest.