U.S. Specialty Crop Growers Urge USDA to End Buy American Waivers for School Meals
A coalition of agricultural groups representing specialty crop growers and processors has sent a letter to Director Russell Vought of the Office of Management and Budget and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, requesting an end to recent waivers granted under the Buy American requirements for school food purchases.
The coalition expressed alarm that foreign agricultural products—notably from China and Russia—have increasingly made their way into U.S. school meals. The letter highlights that schools are serving canned peaches and 80% of apple juice from China, as well as fish sticks sourced from fish caught on Russian vessels and processed in China.
According to the coalition, “These foreign purchases undercut American growers and processors, making it harder to compete, invest, and sustain jobs. The food sector, including fruit and vegetable processing, employs over 22 million Americans, accounting for more than 10 percent of the U.S. economy.”
The Buy American provision for school meals, established in April 2024, set a phased-in cap limiting non-domestic purchases to no more than 10 percent. However, a February 2025 USDA Food and Nutrition Service guidance memo introduced a waiver process allowing schools to exceed that threshold.
The coalition’s letter urges USDA to cease issuing waivers that allow schools to surpass the “established thresholds for nondomestic food purchases, or at minimum, to set a clear sunset date for the waiver process.” The groups emphasized that prioritizing Buy American provisions is critical to “supporting the health of American children and the strength of American specialty crop industries.”
Organizations joining the appeal include several major southeastern agricultural associations such as the Alabama Farmers Federation, Florida Farm Bureau Federation, and Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, along with other state and national partners.
As debates continue over food sourcing transparency, domestic agriculture policy, and supply chain resilience, industry leaders argue that reinforcing Buy American rules is vital for protecting U.S. farmers, processors, and local economies.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.