Feed Our Kids Act of 2026

On May 11, 2026, Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) introduced HR8728, the Feed Our Kids Act of 2026, which was referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. The bill would amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to make breakfasts and lunches free for all children enrolled at public schools participating in those programs, eliminating means-tested eligibility. This is an early-stage bill (introduced and referred to committee) with no hearings, markups, or CBO score yet. The bill's funding mechanism is an authorization only — it sets a new national average payment rate for free breakfasts at $2.80 per meal, adjusted for inflation annually, but there is NO explicit appropriation of funds in the bill text. Actual spending would require subsequent appropriations bills. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) would need to score the cost, which would be substantial — expanding from current ~20-21 million free/reduced-price lunches daily to all ~50 million public school children is a $15-20 billion annual increase. The structural winners from the policy change are foodservice distributors serving the K-12 market. Under the current means-tested system, approximately 20% of eligible students (those qualifying for reduced-price meals) do not participate due to stigma or administrative barriers, and millions of 'paid' students are not covered. Universal mealtime eliminates these barriers, driving a 15-25% increase in total meal volume served. Three publicly traded foodservice distributors dominate school districts: Sysco ($SYY) with ~25-30% market share, US Foods ($USFD) with ~15-20%, and Performance Food Group ($PFGC) with a smaller but meaningful school presence. From a timeline perspective, the bill faces an uphill path. HR8728 has only 3 cosponsors and is sponsored by a minority-party House member (Gottheimer is a Democrat in a Republican-controlled House). The 119th Congress (2025-2027) has a GOP majority in the House and a GOP Senate. Universal free meals is not a current Republican priority; the policy contradicts the Republican approach to school meals, which advocates means-tested programs and work requirements. A companion bill in the Senate would be required, and no Senate version has been introduced. Passage odds in this Congress are below 20%. The effective date (one year after enactment) suggests sponsors anticipate this as a longer-term push, potentially a campaign issue for 2028.