August 15, 2022
Federal waivers that allow free school meals for all students nationwide expire at the beginning of the school year, as school nutrition professionals say inflation has driven up the price of food by as much as triple-digit percentages, according to a report from the School Nutrition Association. "School districts have to balance the amount of money we bring in as revenue for paid meals and federal reimbursements against those higher costs that we're incurring," said Lori Adkins, president of SNA and child nutrition consultant for Oakland Schools in Michigan.