A pandemic-era program allowed schools to provide free meals for all students. Since it ended, some students have been racking up unpaid meal debt.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has revived one farm to school grant program after canceling it earlier this year, and a pair of bipartisan bills making their way through Congress aim to restore funding for the Local Food For Schools program. But the cancellations have been a big disruption for ag producers.

The USDA says kids’ health is at stake with the proposed nutrition standards. But some manufacturers say making food with less salt and sugar will cost more, while nutrition directors are worried students won’t eat the meals.

The agency wants to help more school districts cover the costs of universal free meals.

The pandemic relief program that provided free meals was an outlier in the 75-year history of the federal school lunch program.

There are a lot of benefits to making school lunch and other social benefits more universal. But, yes, it’s expensive to do.

Schools provide meals to millions of kids each day, and they’re closely watching food inflation.

These are the first statewide programs, though some cities already have universal free lunch in schools.

The number of summer meals served last July increased by 160%. And this summer, those benefits will be extended.

Green Party Mayor Grégory Doucet says adopting a single meatless menu helps to make social distancing easier during COVID-19.