This Week at the Department of Agriculture — week of May 4, 2026

This week at the Department of Agriculture: two rules change what’s served in schools and what must be stocked on SNAP store shelves, while other actions quietly update canned meat formulas, Forest Service leases, and spearmint market limits. Here’s what happened and why it matters to you.

Milk in Schools and Child Care

• USDA now allows whole milk and reduced-fat (2 percent) milk to be served to children ages two and older, as well as adults, in school and child care meal programs.
• Previously, these programs could only serve low-fat (1 percent) or fat-free milk to that age group.
• For school food authorities and child care providers, this is a compliance change: they can now stock whole or reduced-fat milk without losing reimbursement or violating program rules. The rule does not change how meals are structured or priced.

SNAP Store Shelf Requirements

• USDA finalized a rule clarifying how it counts “separate varieties” of staple foods for SNAP-authorized retailers.
• The rule activates minimum stocking requirements from the 2014 Farm Bill: stores must carry at least seven distinct varieties in each of four staple food categories, with perishable options required in three of those categories.
• The change standardizes how food categories are counted, which should reduce confusion for store managers and inspectors — but it also means SNAP grocery stores must maintain a wider, more specific selection of staple foods to keep their authorization.

Spearmint Oil Marketing Limits

• USDA set 2025-2026 sales limits for Far West spearmint oil: 808,656 pounds of Scotch spearmint and 1,028,670 pounds of Native spearmint.
• These numbers replace last season’s limits and are set by a local committee as a routine market management tool.
• The limits respond to rising production costs, flat prices, and stabilizing trade demand. The goal is to prevent a market glut that would crash prices while still letting buyers get enough product.

Administrative Cleanups

• The Food Safety and Inspection Service removed the “65-10 Rule” for canned tripe with milk, which previously required every can to contain at least 65 percent tripe and no less than 10 percent milk. The old percentage was carried over from earlier standards without clear justification; removing it gives manufacturers flexibility in recipes or pricing without changing safety or inspection requirements.
• The Forest Service proposed reclassifying leases for administrative sites — land it controls for government operations — so they are treated as standard real estate leases instead of special use authorizations. The change aims to remove financing roadblocks for developers, and any practical effect would only appear if developers apply for and secure loans using these sites.

---

This weekly agency digest is generated from federal records (the Federal Register and Congress.gov) and summarized in plain English. It may simplify or omit detail — follow the linked official sources before relying on any item. Part of The Boring Parts.