Reimbursements for school meal programs,
Last week, Minnesota School Nutrition Association (MSNA) members, including Robin Profit, Director of Food Services at Clearbrook-Gonvick Schools met with U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar to advocate for school meal programs during the Legislative Action Conference (LAC) of the national, nonprofit School Nutrition Association.
Robin joined 850 school nutrition professionals from around the US to urge Congress to increase federal reimbursements for school meal programs, along with funding for equipment, staffing and resources.
School Nutrition Professionals to Urge Congress to Invest in School Meals
SNA’s Legislative Action Conference
ARLINGTON, VA (March 3, 2026) – This week, 850 school nutrition professionals from across the country will head to Washington, D.C. to participate in School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) 54th annual Legislative Action Conference (LAC). As USDA drafts regulations to align school nutrition standards with the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, LAC attendees will urge Congress to increase funding for school meals to cover rising costs and required investments in staffing, training, equipment and infrastructure to expand scratch cooking.
The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, emphasize protein, more whole foods and reducing highly processed foods. SNA’s SY 2025-26 School Nutrition Trends Survey found virtually all (99%) responding school meal program directors reported needing more funding, with 79% expressing an “extreme need” for increased funds to further expand scratch cooking and reduce reliance on ultra-processed foods.
LAC attendees will discuss these issues with their Members of Congress and share SNA’s 2026 Position Paper. The Paper urges Congress to increase school meal funding, protect and expand access to healthy school meals for all students and to ensure updates to school nutrition standards are operationally feasible for schools.
About School Nutrition Association:
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing 50,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. For more information on school meals, visit www.SchoolNutrition.org/SchoolMeals
About Minnesota School Nutrition Association
The Minnesota School Nutrition Association (MSNA), founded in 1956 as a state-wide association with local chapters, is a non-profit association of over 2,600 members who work to ensure that all children have access to healthy meals and nutrition education in Minnesota. For more information about MSNA and upcoming events, please visit www.mnsna.org.