USDA raises meal reimbursement rate for Hawaiʻi’s kids

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service recently updated Hawaiʻi’s reimbursement rate for school lunches and other federal child nutrition programs, which will bring a projected $8 million to support healthful meals for island keiki.

Operators of child nutrition programs, such as the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, receive federal reimbursements to help cover the costs of meals provided to children. So-called “out­lying areas” such as Hawaiʻi, Alaska and Guam receive higher reimbursement rates than other states because of higher labor and food costs, but there have been calls to increase Hawaiʻi’s share even more.

The state’s reimbursement rate is 17 percent above what is known as the National Average Payment, but advocates have called for the rate to be 62 percent above the payment, which would match Alaska’s current rate. The updated Hawaiʻi rate, which is temporary and will go into effect July 1, will increase Hawaiʻi’s reimbursement rate to 30 percent.

While the new rate is still less than half of what advocates wanted, it’s been met with praise in Hawaiʻi.

“We have been trying to get this increase for over a decade,” said Daniela Spoto, director of anti-hunger initiatives at the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, in a statement. The policy institute last year published a report calling for the 62 percent reimbursement rate.

“Hawaiʻi’s reimbursement rate was far too low to be able to operate these programs effectively, and it has been negatively affecting our ability to serve quality meals to children,” Spoto said. “We are incredibly excited for what this means for improving access to and quality of Hawaiʻi’s school meals.”