Tallahassee, Fla. — As Congress works on the next round of COVID-19 relief, funding for nutrition programs that are helping millions of American children and families through the pandemic remains uncertain. Today, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried sent a letter to members of Florida’s Congressional Delegation highlighting the importance of those nutrition programs, calling for universal free school meals and an extension of the Pandemic EBT program, and emphasizing the dire financial issues facing providers of school meals and other nutrition assistance programs.
Universal Free School Meals: During COVID-19 related school closures, over 42 million student meals were provided from March through May under FDACS’ Summer BreakSpot Program. With many students relying on these meals as a reliable source of nutrition, moving that many students back to the traditional school lunch program could cause a great disruption as more students are expected to be in need of meals after the economic impact of COVID-19.
“With so many children in our communities now dependent on free meals due to COVID-19 hardships, the increased processing of meal applications and distribution of additional meals will be a massive undertaking for our already overburdened schools,” Commissioner Nikki Fried states in the letter. “Moving to universal free school meals for the 2020-2021 school year as has been proposed in H.R.7887, that has the support of more than 30 education health nutrition and hunger relief organizations, could help alleviate this burden on the schools.”
Extension of Pandemic EBT: Between April and June, nearly one in three families with children recounted dealing with food insecurity. Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) is providing nutrition assistance to school-age children eligible for free or reduced school meals during the pandemic, helping many parents who have lost their jobs to support their families.
In the letter, Commissioner Fried urges members to “extend the Pandemic EBT program through the upcoming school year” to help the “more than 2.1 million eligible children” in Florida and other actors the nation.
Financial issues facing nutrition providers: Organizations who have stepped up during the pandemic to help fill an increase in demand for nutrition assistance programs have also seen their own revenues decrease due to the economic effects of COVID-19 with a lack of federal support to match the increased administrative needs.
“In Florida, the estimated loss to the school districts’ school nutrition fund balances due to closures in the 2019-2020 school year is nearly $160 million,” Commissioner Nikki Fried states in the letter. “It is critical that emergency funding for school nutrition programs take into account not only the increased need for purchases but also the increased cost of operations for the meal providers as we work together to keep our students fed.”
New guidance on school meals: Earlier today, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) released new guidance on the eligibility for and availability of school meals.
Background: Throughout the pandemic, Commissioner Fried and FDACS have been working with school districts and partner organizations to ensure that Florida’s children can access nutritious meals while schools have been closed. In March, the Department secured a federal waiver allowing schools and community organizations to feed children during school closures and activated the 2-1-1 call/text line and website to ensure families knew where meals were available locally. In May, the Department worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to extend the federal waivers providing flexibility during the pandemic to August, so kids could continue to access means with the uncertainty of plans for the coming school year.
The full letter can be read below:
August 10, 2020
Dear Florida Congressional Delegation Members:
As Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture and on behalf of our state’s $137 billion agriculture industry, thank you for your united support for Florida’s farmers. From fighting for our seasonal producers in the face of Mexico’s unfair trade practices to voicing opposition to Chinese citrus imports that risk the well-being of our industry already impacted by invasive pests to providing federal support in the aftermath of hurricanes, the delegation has continued to have our farmers’ backs. In the face of the COVID-19, your support has been more crucial as agriculture has replaced tourism as our state’s top economic driver during these challenging times.
As Congress continues negotiating further COVID-19 relief, I know the delegation will continue to advocate for increased and expanded support for our farmers who are still reeling from spring losses topping $522 million for seasonal crops alone as they face continued uncertainty as the fall harvest approaches. This includes addressing issues with the USDA’s current payment limitation under its Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), expanding eligibility for impacted industries including aquaculture and nursery growers, and extending the enrollment deadline for producers not yet eligible. Congress and the Administration must also provide much-needed resources and guidance to better protect our agriculture workers on the front lines keeping our food supply safe and strong throughout this crisis. Our neighbors’ ability to keep their families fed depends on the success of our agriculture industry, which is directly tied to health and well-being of our farmworkers. I write today to urge you and your colleagues to also maintain critical support for the nutrition programs keeping food on the tables of those facing financial hardships due to the pandemic.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) administers the state’s $1.3 billion School Lunch Program, serving 245 million free or reduced-price lunches to two million students. Our Summer BreakSpot Program provides children access to nutritious meals during the summer and during unexpected school closures like we saw this past spring due to COVID-19. From March to May, FDACS provided 42 million meals to children in need through this program. However, as schools begin to reopen in the fall, we could see great disruptions as we move from the Summer BreakSpot Program, which is available to help feed all children, back to the traditional School Lunch Program that requires program enrollment. With so many children in our communities now dependent on free meals due to COVID-19 hardships, the increased processing of meal applications and distribution of additional meals will be a massive undertaking for our already overburdened schools. Moving to universal free school meals for the 2020-2021 school year, as has been proposed in H.R.7887 that has the support of more than 30 education, health, nutrition, and hunger relief organizations, could help alleviate this burden on the schools. Additionally, providing universal free school meals can help reduce the stigma for children in need and would better support social distancing efforts during meal distribution to reduce the risk of COVID-19 for both students and staff.
In addition to providing universal school meals for the 2020-2021 school year as part of a COVID-19 relief package, I also urge you and your colleagues to extend the Pandemic EBT program through the upcoming school year. A recent study by the Hamilton Project and the Brookings Institution found this program is helping to reduce food hardships and hunger among our nation’s children during the pandemic. In Florida, more than 2.1 million eligible children have received over $670 million in Pandemic EBT benefits.
Lastly, I want to bring to your attention the dire financial situation facing our school meal and other nutrition assistance providers. These organizations have seen increased demand for their services in the face of decreased revenue during the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. While the CARES Act included $8.8 billion in additional funding for federal child nutrition program food purchases, providers were left without assistance as administrative costs soared. In Florida, the estimated loss to the school districts’ school nutrition fund balances due to closures in the 2019-2020 school year is nearly $160 million[5]. It is critical that emergency funding for school nutrition programs take into account not only the increased need for purchases, but also the increased cost of operations for the meal providers as we work together to keep our students fed.
Thank you again for your continued leadership and support for Florida farmers and families struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working together, we will keep our agriculture economy strong, our farmworkers and food supply safe, and food on the tables for our neighbors in need.
Sincerely,
Nicole “Nikki” Fried
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture
