Cincinnati Schools Cut Bananas Under 5% Foreign-Food Cap in Farm Bill
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 11
Cincinnati Schools Cut Bananas Under 5% Foreign-Food Cap in Farm Bill
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 11
Summary
Cincinnati public schools say they will drop bananas from lunch and limit them at breakfast to twice a week if the House Farm Bill takes effect as written.
The proposal would scrap the current phase-in and immediately tighten school meal purchases to a 5% cap on foreign-produced foods, potentially starting in the 2026-27 school year.
Bananas are especially exposed because the US imports almost all of them, and school nutrition officials say other staples such as frozen broccoli, fish and diced peaches can also be unavailable domestically or cost too much.
School meal advocates warn the change would add compliance burdens, disrupt menus planned months ahead and undermine efforts to serve fresh, appealing food in programs that provide billions of meals each year.
The Senate is preparing its version of the Farm Bill, with advocates urging more support for local sourcing and domestic production before stricter Buy American rules take hold.