USDA bans school lunch fees for low-income families

NEW YORK CITY, New York: Starting in the 2027-2028 school year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new policy allowing low-income families to avoid processing fees on school meal payments.

Currently, schools use third-party processors for cashless payment systems, which often add fees to each transaction. These fees, sometimes reaching US$3.25 or up to 5 percent of each transaction, can incre