U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an adjustment in school meal reimbursements to help schools continue to serve children healthy and nutritious meals.

The USDA says this move will put an estimated $750 million more into school meal programs across the nation this year, making sure federal reimbursements keep pace with food and operational costs, while ensuring children continue to receive healthy meals at school.

School lunch reimbursement rates usually do not increase during the school year. However, this year, due to the pandemic, the USDA allowed schools to benefit from the highest rates available, which are normally reserved for the USDA Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). By law, these summer rates adjust for inflation annually in January.

This adjustment is well-timed to ensure the purchasing power of schools and keeps pace with the cost of living. Schools receiving these reimbursement rates can stretch their operating budgets further during these tough times, while giving families fewer meal expenses to worry about each school day.

At the start of the 2021-22 school year, the SFSP lunch reimbursement rate for participating schools was already 15 percent higher than the standard reimbursement for a free lunch. Now, because of higher food costs and other circumstances, schools will receive an additional 25 cents per lunch. Taken together, schools are receiving 22 percent more for school lunches than they would under normal conditions.