The Biden Administration announced yesterday the USDA initiative that will provide almost $1 billion in additional funding to schools to purchase American-grown foods for meal programs. This comes in the wake of President Biden signing the Keep Kids Fed Act, which equips schools, meal sites, and childcare food programs with additional resources throughout the 2022-2023 school year.
“The Biden Administration knows that ongoing impacts of supply chain issues and rising food costs continue to be a challenge for many schools and child nutrition operators, and we are thankful for Congress stepping up to ease some of their burdens,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, in a statement. “On our end, this funding boost is yet another step the Administration is taking to ensure every child who needs a meal, gets one. No matter the circumstances, USDA and all our partners must continue collaborating to provide our young ones with the healthy meals they count on.”
The additional financial boost is provided through USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation, generally used to implement specific programs. The funds will be distributed to schools across the country by state agencies. This initiative also builds on the $1 billion in Supply Chain Assistance Funds, which provides schools with funding for commodity purposes.
The Keep Kids Fed Act will also provide assistance by:
- Extending nationwide flexibilities to summer meal programs, allowing sites to continue to serve meals at no cost to families
- Providing schools with additional temporary reimbursements to meal purchases
- Providing family day care facilities with higher temporary reimbursement rates for the upcoming school year
- Equipping USDA with additional flexibilities to support schools based on specific needs
The act, however, does not allow all students to eat school meals free of charge, but deadlines for districts to participate in free meal programs will be extended.
“USDA is working alongside our child nutrition partners to support them in delivering vital, nutritious meals to tens of millions of children every school day,” said Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary of food, nutrition, and consumer services, in a statement. “There’s a long road ahead, but the extra support and funding for our operators will help them continue to serve our children well.”
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