How SNAP changes could impact access to free school meals : NPR

A decline in food stamp participation can lead to a decrease in federal funding, forcing schools to pay more for universal free food when their budgets are already stretched thin, according to Pratt-Heavner. 

This could push schools to shift funds away from classroom needs or decide to stop offering universal free meals altogether, she adds. If districts decide to do away with their free food programs, they may still incur costs in the form of debt from unpaid meals...

 https://www.npr.org/2026/09/03/nx-s1-5954205/snap-food-free-school-lunch-usda

 

The MAHA movement is coming to school cafeterias. Here's what that means for kids

"If a kid is hungry, they're not studying. They can't learn. They're acting out," Taylor said. "But if you build this into part of their school day to where they feel like this is the norm for them, then you've knocked down that hurdle."…

 https://www.npr.org/2026/05/14/nx-s1-5688946/school-lunches-dietary-guidelines-maha 

Whitmer to propose free school meals, Pre-K for All, reconnect expansion in budget proposal

"Every kid deserves a high-quality public education from pre-K through graduation. I'm proud of the progress we've made for students, educators, and schools, but we're not done. That's why my budget proposal continues key investments in pre-K, K-12, and beyond. Let's keep working together to help every student thrive," Whitmer said in a press release...

https://www.michiganpublic.org/education/2026-02-10/whitmer-to-propose-free-school-meals-pre-k-for-all-reconnect-expansion-in-budget-proposal 

 

White House releases ‘Make Our Children Healthy Again’ report. Here’s what’s in it - The Washington Post

But some of his allies have expressed frustration at the approach to pesticides.

"It was clearly a statement crafted by the chemical corporations who have deeply influenced this administration and, of course, many previous administrations," Zen Honeycutt, a longtime Kennedy supporter and the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Moms Across America, said of the leaked draft in an interview last week...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/09/09/maha-report-released-rfk-jr/

 

Inside RFK Jr’s conflicted attempt to rid America of junk food

Mozaffarian called the choice to cut the Farm to School Grant "a bizarre decision that goes completely against the goals to make America healthy again". 

Nestle believes that misalignment between promise and practice is purposeful. The Trump administration and Maha movement have "hijacked the food movement in order to use it as publicity for the kind of cuts that are being made", she said. It's also being used to "forward an agenda which is exactly the opposite of what you would hope" – one that's focused more on cutting programs than reforming industry. 

Nestle says the administration's calls to end subsidies for "junk food" with Snap are disingenuous, and just a guise for cutting the program altogether. "The business about taking sodas out of Snap is a cover for cutting Snap benefits," she said. The current Republican budget bill, which Trump signed into law last week, proposes a 20% cut to the program.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/08/rfk-jr-junk-food