With Congress settling into its election year agenda, the School Nutrition Association, speaking for school food directors, says lawmakers should oppose any effort to convert funding for school food programs into block grants. There has been little talk of that idea since a 2016 deadlock over a child nutrition bill, but the issue could be revisited as part of a larger Republican drive for welfare reform.
“Block grants will dismantle an effective and crucial federal program, putting students at risk by cutting funds and abolishing federal standards for school meals,” said the association, which put opposing block grants at the top of its list of objectives for this year. Each school day, an average of 30 million students eat hot meals through the federal school lunch program, and nearly 15 million children take part in the school breakfast program.
The association also asked for increased support for school breakfast in the form of 6 cents of USDA-donated food for each meal served. At present, the USDA provides so-called commodity foods for school lunch only. The group renewed its stand in favor of stricter limits on salt in meals and requirements to serve more whole grains.
Iowa Rep. Steve King filed a bill a year ago to fund school meals with block grants. It received no action. The House Education Committee approved a child nutrition bill in May 2016 that included a three-state test of block grants. It was not called for a floor vote and died at the end of 2016.