FRAC Chat

June 4 marks the 80th anniversary of the passage of the National School Lunch Act, a landmark federal law that established the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Today, nearly 30 million children participate in the NSLP across 94,000 schools each school day. Research consistently shows that participation in school lunch is associated with positive health outcomes, improved academic achievement, and reduced financial pressure on families. With high food and living costs, and food insecurity affecting far too many children and families, school meals remain a vital public health investment that helps ensure children get the nutrition they need to grow and thrive.

The Constitution gives Congress the “power of the purse.” How Congress chooses to spend our resources demonstrates their priorities and highlights the direction they want to take our nation. “Appropriations” is the process for developing our nation’s budget each year. Through it, Congress assigns dollars to federal departments, agencies, and programs. See FRAC’s priorities for appropriations.

Annually, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issues a report on the characteristics of households and individuals participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The most recent report released in May provides details about fiscal year 2024 program participants — critical insights for lawmakers, advocates, and stakeholders., to push back against false, harmful narratives that have been perpetuated about individuals and households SNAP.

Early in May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) finalized their updates to the SNAP retailer stocking standards. The new rule increases the required number of varieties in each food category, and the number of perishable items stores must carry to be eligible as SNAP vendors. These changes will primarily impact small stores, including bodegas and convenience stores, small grocery stores, and combination stores (stores that sell general goods, but also carry some food, like dollar stores), which make up about 70 percent of all SNAP retailers. 

FRAC’s recently released Large School District report reveals that despite growing pressures, school nutrition professionals around the country continue to employ best practices to increase children’s access to nutritious school meals. In February 2026, FRAC surveyed 96 large school districts across 37 states and the District of Columbia on school meals operations and participation. Findings show that even in the face of challenges, including high food and labor costs, school nutrition departments continue to do what they do best: innovate, adapt, and put children’s health and well-being first.