Universal Meals Legislation Re-Introduced
May 13, 2026
The Universal School Meals Program Act (H.R.8798/ S.4518) has been reintroduced in Congress. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-5) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are leading the bill in the House and the Senate, respectively. This legislation would make comprehensive updates to the CACFP, the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the School Breakfast Program (SBP), and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) to ensure that all children receive free meals.
Why It Matters
Although this legislation is framed around schools, it also includes significant provisions to update the CACFP and SFSP. This legislation would address multiple key policy priorities for the CACFP community: increasing reimbursement, eliminating tiering, providing reimbursement for an additional meal, expanding eligibility, and decreasing paperwork burden.
CACFP Provisions
The Universal School Meals Program Act of 2026 makes significant structural changes to the CACFP that would expand access, increase reimbursement, and decrease administrative burdens.
- Reimburse all meals and snacks at the free meal rate (same rate for family homes and centers).
- Eliminate income-eligibility requirements.
- Eliminate the Tiering system for family homes.
- Expands reimbursement to
- Removes the 50% eligibility threshold for afterschool program
- Allows afterschool programs to serve up to 3 meals and 1 snack on non-school days (holidays and weekends)
SFSP Provisions
The bill also makes sweeping changes to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), significantly expanding access and flexibility.
- Eliminates income-eligibility, allowing all children to be eligible.
- Expands SFSP service times to include summer months (May-September), school vacations, teacher in-service days, and emergency closures.
- Expands reimbursement to three meals and 1 snack per child each day
Contact policy@cacfp.org with any questions.