WASHINGTON – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking to reduce the added sugars and further reduce the sodium formulated into school meals, according to a final rule published April 24 in the Federal Register.

The agency is planning to implement a two-phase approach to lowering added sugars levels. Phase 1 will target the added sugar content of specific products and phase 2 will establish weekly limits.

Beginning July 1, 2025, breakfast cereals served in schools may have no more than 6 grams of added sugars per 1 dry oz; yogurt may have no more than 12 grams of added sugars per 6 oz (2 grams of added sugars per 1 oz); and flavored milk may have no more than 10 grams of added sugars per fluid-oz or, for flavored milk sold as a competitive food for middle and high schools, 15 grams of added sugars per 12 fluid-oz.

Beginning July 1, 2027, in addition to the product-based limits included in phase 1, the USDA has established a dietary specification limiting added sugars to less than 10% of calories across the week in the school lunch and breakfast programs.

“Schools have many ways to reduce the amounts of added sugars in their menus, such as using fruit as a sweetener in recipes and reducing the frequency of high-sugar items offered during the week,” according to the USDA.

“As we have repeatedly made clear, the Sugar Association supports the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommendation to limit added sugars to 10% of total calories, as part of healthy dietary patterns,” said Courtney Gaine, president and chief executive officer of the Sugar Association. “While limiting added sugars to 10% of each week’s school meals menu is consistent with the DGA, applying arbitrary sugar limits to individual products like cereals and flavored dairy is certainly not.”     

The USDA also is focused on further reducing the amount of sodium school children consume. Beginning July 1, 2027, schools will implement an approximate 15% reduction in sodium for lunch and an approximate 10% reduction for breakfast from the current sodium limits. The reductions will mean children eating school lunches that are in kindergarten through 5th grade will be limited to no more than 935 mg of sodium; children in grades 6th to 8th will be limited to 1,035 mg; and children in grades 9th to 12th will be limited to 1,080 mg. For breakfast, the groups will be limited to 485 mg, 535 mg and 570 mg, respectively.

In the rule, the USDA emphasized that the limits apply to the average amount of sodium in lunch and breakfast menus offered during a school week. The sodium limits do not apply per day, per meal, or per menu item.  

The USDA also updated how it defines the phrase “whole-grain rich” to indicate the grain content of a product is between 50% and 100% whole grain with any remaining grains being enriched. 

 “This definition aligns with the current definition and meaning of whole grain-rich in school meals, which was previously included only in USDA policy guidance,” according to the agency.