The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has increased the reimbursement rate for school meals, giving schools an additional 25 cents per lunch.
This change will put around $750 million more into school nutrition programs and, along with higher reimbursement rates that have been in place through pandemic-related waivers, give schools "22% more for school lunches than they would [receive] under normal conditions," the USDA said in a news release.
Last month, the USDA announced it will also provide up to $1.5 billion to states and school districts to help K-12 nutrition teams deal with supply chain issues.
School meal programs across the country continue to struggle with higher operating costs, supply chain shortages and lack of adequate staffing.