Food & Agriculture

CFA Supports USDA Proposal to Limit Added Sugars in School Meals, Asks for Ban on Artificial Sweeteners

CFA submitted the following comments on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service proposed rule introducing new school meal standards that include limits on added sugars. The comments express support for the added sugar limits, but urge FNS to also prohibit the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LCNS), including sugar alcohols, in school meals, particularly meals served to younger children. As the comments explain, without such a prohibition, the proposed rule may drive increased consumption of LCNS by children, as school meal providers reformulate foods to lower added sugar content, in contravention of public health authorities’ recommendations.