Nutrition Group Lobbies for More Free School Meals

Washington

More than 600 school nutrition professionals took to the halls of the Capitol last week, lobbying legislators and their staff members in favor of a bill that would allow more poor children to receive free school meals.

The Reduced Price School Meal Pilot would allow five states to experiment with eliminating the “reduced price” category for school lunches and breakfasts. Currently, families eligible for reduced-price lunches must pay 40 cents for lunch and 30 cents for breakfast for their children.

Even that cost is too much for some families, particularly if they have to pay for more than one child, said representatives from the 55,000-member School Nutrition Association attending its...