April 30, 2008 SFA Revenues Only Cover 82 Percent of School Food Costs A survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service found that federal subsidies for reimbursable school lunches in most School Food Authority (SFA) operations only paid 82 percent of the full cost of the meals during the 2005-2006 school year. Although the reported costs of the free meal was $2.36, this figure is an accounting anomaly. The actual cost was $2.91 per meal, which includes both the reported costs--those charged directly to school food service accounts, and unreported costs--those paid by school districts in support of SFA operations. (EDITOR’S NOTE: The world-wide rise in food prices, now afflicting large portions of the world, have not yet been recorded in U.S. statistics but should have an eventual impact.) http://www.fns.usda.gov/OANE/menu/Published/CNP/FILES/MealCostStudySummary.pdf

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