STANDARDS

Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.3, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.5, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.3, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.6, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4

NCSS: Culture • Time, Continuity, and Change • People, Places, and Environments • Individuals, Groups, and Institutions • Science, Technology, and Society

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Health

What's on the Menu?

Check out three big changes coming to school cafeterias.

October 2024

The food in your cafeteria may be getting a mini makeover starting this year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced new rules for school lunches and breakfasts. The changes limit added sugars and expand the types of food that can be served. The rules started to take effect this past summer, although schools will have until the 2027-28 school year to fully implement them. Take a closer look at what the new rules mean for you.

—Lisa M. Herrington

1. More Vegetarian Options

Beans for breakfast? Yep! Cafeterias can now offer a wider variety of protein choices early in the day. That includes providing alternatives to meat, such as beans, lentils, and tofu.

2. Hold the Sugar—and the Salt!

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Chocolate milk isn’t going away. But the updated standards lower the amount of added sugars allowed in flavored milk and other products, such as cereal and yogurt. Schools also will have to cut down on sodium—a mineral in salt.

3. Honoring Traditions

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Breadfruit is a staple in Hawaii. A staple is a food or other product that is popular and is a basic, important part of people’s lives.

Schools serving mostly American Indian and Native Alaskan students can incorporate traditional Indigenous foods. They can dish up vegetables such as sweet potatoes, breadfruit, and prairie turnips in place of bread, pasta, and other grains. The rule also applies to schools in Hawaii and Guam, a U.S. island territory in the Pacific Ocean.