MALVERN, PENNSYLVANIA — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced new federal dietary guidelines in January following the Make America Healthy Again blueprint, kicking off a multi-year formal rule-making process to update U.S. Department of Agriculture nutrition program rules through public comment.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the updated guidelines at a press conference on January 8, including an emphasis on proteins and full-fat dairy and limits on processed foods. The new guidelines urge Americans to avoid highly processed foods and to prioritize high-quality, nutrient-dense protein at every meal.

Federal nutrition standards for schools participating in federal meal programs are based on the new dietary guidelines. The USDA is working to update nutrition standards for the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. Schools in federal meal programs have begun reducing added sugar in certain items to align with new federal rules.

The National School Lunch Program fed 30 million children last year. For schools in the contiguous 48 states, the USDA reimbursement rate is $4.60 per meal for students eligible for a free lunch, $4.20 per meal for students eligible for a reduced-price lunch, and $0.44 per meal for students who pay full price, according to the School Nutrition Association.

In March 2025, the USDA ended the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, eliminating an estimated $660 million in funding. That program had provided money for schools to buy unprocessed or minimally processed foods from local or regional producers.

At the Great Valley School District in Malvern, Pennsylvania, federal and state funding are the largest revenue streams for the food services budget, paying for staff wages, kitchen equipment, food, and utility costs. The district's supervisor of food and nutrition services said in a podcast interview that she has been working over the past year and a half to refresh the meal program by balancing cooking more fresh food from scratch with budget constraints and a lack of skilled labor.

In some school districts, chicken nuggets are served cooked frozen and contain about 35 ingredients. Chicken strips cooked from scratch can be made using six or seven ingredients.