Ban on School Lunch Processing Fees Set for 2027 Start

Processing fees can drastically increase the cost of reduced-price meals for lower-income students.

A child carries a tray with food during lunch break at St. Mary's RC Primary School, in Battersea, south London, on Nov. 29, 2022. Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

Students eligible for free or reduced-priced school meals won’t be charged processing fees starting in 2027, the Department of Agriculture has announced.

Under the current system, processing fees, or “junk fees,” as they are colloquially known, can drastically increase the cost of reduced-price meals for lower-income students.