Proposed Federal Nutrition Policy Changes for Schools, Meal Patterns, WIC Modernization Elicit IFPA Responses 

June 25, 2023

Washington, DC – Child nutrition community eligibility, school meal revisions, and modernization of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program were among the many ongoing nutrition priorities the International Fresh Produce Association formally responded to recently. Specifically, IFPA Vice President of Nutrition and Health Mollie Van Lieu submitted comments to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service on these 3 discrete issues: 

 Child Nutrition Programs: Community Eligibility Provision-Increasing Options for Schools 
Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans 
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Online Ordering and Transactions and Food Delivery Revisions to Meet the Needs of a Modern Data-Driven Program

 Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)-Increasing Options for Schools 

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) has been an instrumental tool for school foodservice operators to streamline operations and offer school breakfasts and lunch at no charge to the students. During the pandemic, Congress allowed all students to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost which -- aside from helping establish more predictable supply chain -- also found to decrease child food insecurity by 7%. The CEP option allows schools that operate in areas with higher density of food insecurity to serve all meals for free to students rather than individually means test each a student – a cumbersome, labor-intensive, administrative task that contributes to the growing issue of school meal debt. Instead, schools agree to a different reimbursement formula and must cover any gaps in reimbursement at the local level.  

 “The proposed rule lowering CEP’s eligibility threshold to 25% Individual Student Percentage (ISP) will have a positive impact on schools, communities and the fresh produce supply chain, creating the opportunity for an additional 9 million students to have access to free school meals and increasing operational efficiencies for 20,000 more schools,” Van Lieu stated. “As such, IFPA urges USDA to give states the option to implement the 25% threshold even if the new rule is finalized after the June 30 deadline. This will allow states and schools to benefit from the change as soon as possible in the upcoming 2023-2024 school year.” 

 Current USDA nutrition guidelines require that children be offered serving of fruits and vegetables daily, including vegetables from each of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans vegetable subgroups through the course of the week. Since the updated nutrition standards went into place, fresh produce purchases have tripled in school meal programs.  

 Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans 

With research finding that school lunch is the healthiest meal most children will eat during a day, child nutrition programs are critical to closing the consumption gap of fruits and vegetables. In its comments, IFPA noted that early introduction to fresh produce is crucial to supporting child development and wellbeing, and for establishing positive behaviors for fruit and vegetable consumption throughout adolescence with schools and childcare facilities providing an important window of opportunity in supporting a child’s produce intake.  

“Updating and revising the meal patterns and nutrition standards in the Child Nutrition Programs to reflect the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), including, notably, an added sugar limit for the first time, supports the needs of children,” Van Lieu noted. “Excessive added sugar consumption is a problem throughout the American food supply and has been a challenge in school breakfasts. While we recognize that this will not be an easy transition for all schools, particularly as foods available outside school buildings continue to have too much added sugar, history tells us that nutrition standards in school meals incentivizes food manufacturers to reformulate products. And of course, fruit provides a naturally sweet alternative. IFPA will soon be releasing fruit and vegetable focused breakfasts recipes to help schools during this time of transition. Providing fresh fruits and vegetables through programs like these is one strategy to also reduce added sugar and sodium in meals programs as well as in children’s diets.” 

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Online Ordering and Transactions and Food Delivery Revisions 

The WIC program represents one of the most effective programs to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Today, toddlers and young children in the program consume two cups of fruits and vegetables a day. But despite the recent advancements in online grocery ordering and delivery, the WIC program has not had the technological capabilities to be able to keep up with this shift. In its comments to USDA, IFPA strongly encouraged offering online shopping to WIC participants, which could serve as a powerful tool to further increase enrollment and, in turn, fruit and vegetable consumption. 

“Early online ordering pilot programs and findings from COVID-19 pandemic-era program changes demonstrate favorable views of online WIC purchasing and an overall willingness to explore new methods of benefit redemption. Making internet-based transactions easier for WIC participants will increase their purchasing options, while also improving their access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” Van Lieu said. “Furthermore, participants view methods to incorporate technology into the program as a way to ease the overall process of using their benefits, and as a means to reduce stigma during the shopping experience.” 

 In its comments, IFPA also called on USDA to develop an agency infrastructure that will support a data-driven WIC program. “Creation of the WIC Food Delivery and WIC Customer Service coordinator positions further supports the program's administration and execution. When the program operates smoothly and efficiently, it is better able to meet the needs of its participants, and to continue minimizing barriers to consumption of healthy foods like fresh produce,” Van Lieu said. 

In 2023, IFPA will continue to monitor and respond to any proposed legislative or regulatory proposals that would positively or negatively impact opportunities and access for fresh fruits and vegetables and those that produce them, as well as capitalize on recommendations from last year’s White House Conference on Nutrition, Hunger and Health national strategy to ensure federal programs and policies align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and actively address underconsumption of fruits and vegetables. 

Proposed Federal Nutrition Policy Changes for Schools, Meal Patterns, WIC Modernization Elicit IFPA Responses

Additional Press