District 196 May Increase Breakfast, Lunch Prices

School District 196 families will see a small bump next year in school meal prices thanks to a Federal mandates requiring more fresh fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and vegetables in school meals.

On April 22, the District 196 School Board heard a proposal for 10-cent hikes in the lunch prices and a 5-cent increase in breakfast prices district-wide. Lunch prices were last increased in the 2011-12 school year, while breakfast and milk prices have not increased since 2004.

At the meeting, board members expressed concern over a potential dip in meal enrollment as a result of the decrease. The board did not take action on the meal hike last week, but is expected to vote whether to approve the proposal at an upcoming meeting.

With every nickel increase in food prices, the district typically sees a 5 percent decrease in participation, according to District 196 Coordinator of Food and Nutrition Services Wendy Knight, although some of that participation often rebounds in the months following the reduction.

Because of federal mandates under the Healthy and Hunger-Free Kids Act, the district has already lost 3-4 percent of its overall meal enrollment—which is approximately 1,400 meals a day, according to Knight.

Proposed District 196 Lunch and Breakfast Prices