The U.S. Department of Agriculture has new school nutrition standards. Starting in the fall of 2025, there will be limits on how much non-domestic product a school district can buy. This rule change comes as several organizations work to make school meals healthier with more locally sourced ingredients. The Maine Coast Fisherman's Association is making monkfish stew. The Maine marinara cooperative is serving sauce. Chef Ronald Adams of the Maine Farm & Sea Cooperative explained that both dishes have been approved by the Local Food Fund as 51% Maine local content. This qualifies them for financial incentives. The sauce and stew are the first value-added dishes to be approved for reimbursements through Maine's Local Food Fund, a program that helps schools serve local products. Susan Olcott with the Maine Coast Fisherman's Association said, “Value added is something that you take the raw ingredients, you combine them in a new way to make a new product. You’re adding value to it by making it easy to serve.”It's easy to serve, but do the students want to eat it? “We’ve got universal free meals in Maine, which is a blessing for us,” said chef Ron. “But it doesn’t matter if the kids don’t eat the meals.”Taste tests happening in school cafeterias across the state have shown positive results. A majority of students say they like the flavors. Not only do they taste good, these foods benefit student health and the health of the economy too. Chef Ron said, “Local ingredients are good to support the whole state — from the farmers through the processors through the distributors who are delivering it across the state.”Other changes to the USDA school nutrition standards include the first limit on added sugar foods, a slight reduction in sodium levels and an increase in whole grains. Districts have until fall 2027 to fully implement these new standards.