School cafeteria menus limited by national supply chain issues

National supply chain issues in the food-service industry are hitting school cafeterias across the region, prompting last-minute menu changes.

Certain products are not being manufactured while other foods are back-ordered or in limited supply. Ballston Spa, East Greenbush, Averill Park, North Colonie and Albany are among districts that are impacted, notifying families that menus may be subject to change.

"While kitchen staff are doing their best to be creative and deliver nutritious and delicious meals to students, the choices offered may not always reflect what is on the breakfast and lunch menus that are printed each month," East Greenbush officials wrote in a notice to families. "The Food Service Department will do its best to notify families and students ahead of time if a menu item is changed."

Parents and students say meal quality has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. Menus are limited in variety and nutrition, they claim, and fresh fruits and vegetables have been replaced with sugar-filled, processed fruit snacks. 

Food-service providers say they were hard hit by the pandemic which kept many students out of school for more than a year. In some districts, low participation rates in the lunch program are affecting the quality of meals they are able to provide. Cafeterias are also impacted by the ongoing food industry labor shortages.

So far, districts say they are able to provide breakfast and lunch that meet federal nutrition standards. In other states, parents are being asked to pack bagged meals until the supply chain issues are resolved.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials say they are working with school meal providers to find solutions to the supply chain issues, offering emergency procurement, higher meal reimbursement rates, and targeted waivers of certain meal standard requirements. In addition, the USDA recently took action to ensure schools are not penalized if they can’t meet nutrition standards.

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted every stage of the U.S. food supply chain, from commodity production through processing and delivery, USDA officials say. Farmers, ranchers and forest landowners are also increasingly seeing the impacts of climate change such as severe storms, floods, drought and wildfire events that damage their operations. 

“USDA is taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to supporting the school meal programs, taking action to help schools get out in front of possible challenges and addressing other issues that arise from all angles and with all available resources,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “We are committed to the program’s success, and confident in its ability to serve children well.”