US Schools Face Cost Crunch as New Nutrition Rules Loom

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made improving children’s diets a centerpiece of his 2024 presidential campaign, and his Make America Healthy Again movement helped propel President Donald Trump to a second term. The administration is soon expected to demand that schools upgrade the quality of their meals—a widely applauded goal—but it comes after 15 months of chipping away at the funding and programs schools have relied on to put that food on the table.

In January the Trump administration published revamped protein-rich, refined-carb-light Dietary Guidelines for Americans with much fanfare. While restaurants and home cooks ...