“Statement by Courtney Gaine, PhD, RD, president and CEO of the Sugar Association Regarding USDA Proposed Meal Standards”

February 3, 2023 – As USDA undertakes its rulemaking for school meals with a focus on obesity reduction, it is important to note that added sugars consumption has actually declined by more than 30% since 2000 while child obesity is up by 45%.

The Sugar Association supports the alignment of school meals with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) to provide healthier nutrition for all of America’s children, and we are pleased to see that the USDA proposes applying the less than 10% of calories from added sugars target to the week’s menus as the DGAs are intended to serve as a guide for overall diet planning, not as an inflexible formula for specific menu items.

However, the proposed rule’s limit on sugar in individual, highly nutritious, foods, such as yogurt and cereal, conflicts with the DGAs intended application across an entire diet. These product limits not only ignore the many functional roles that sugar plays in food beyond sweetness but will also lead to reduced consumption of important nutrients.  It also encourages the use of sugar substitutes, which are not addressed in USDA’s proposed rule, and their health effects on children are not adequately studied. *See American Academy of Pediatrics.

When it comes to healthier meals, it is imperative that school lunch regulations provide the flexibility schools and school meal professionals need to deliver nutritious and affordable meals that children will actually accept and consume each and every day, because healthy meals that go uneaten do not advance our food security and nutrition goals.

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The Sugar Association, founded in 1943, is the scientific voice of the U.S. sugar industry. The association is committed to making a difference by continuously supporting scientific research and sharing its knowledge that there’s more to sugar by increasing consumer understanding of and confidence in the role that sugar plays in a nutritious, balanced and enjoyable diet. The Sugar Association represents nearly 12,000 beet and cane sugar growers, as well as processors and refiners of sugar. The U.S. sugar industry generates 142,000 jobs in 22 states and contributes $20 billion to the economy annually. For more information, visit sugar.org, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and connect with us on Facebook.