{"id":12190,"date":"2026-02-25T08:15:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T14:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=12190"},"modified":"2026-02-25T08:15:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T14:15:57","slug":"overseas-dodea-meal-pricing-set-for-2026-27-school-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/02\/25\/overseas-dodea-meal-pricing-set-for-2026-27-school-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Overseas DoDEA Meal Pricing Set for 2026-27 School Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

DALLAS \u2013 <\/strong>To comply with federal law, school meals will increase by 25 cents at Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools outside the continental United States<\/a> (OCONUS) for the 2026-27 school year.<\/p>\n

The lunch price for elementary (grades UPK-five) and secondary (grades six-12) students\u2019 meals will be $3.75 and $4, respectively. Breakfast for all (grades K-12) will be $2.25. Per federal guidelines, families who qualify for free meals receive lunch and breakfast at no cost, and families who qualify for reduced meals will still pay $0.40 per lunch and $0.30 for breakfast.<\/p>\n

Each year, the USDA requires DoDEA schools to compare costs for a paid student lunch to the difference between two federal reimbursement rates: the free meal rate and the paid meal rate. If the current price is too low compared to that difference, the USDA requires school meal prices to be adjusted to achieve parity. The 25-cent increase for paid lunches at DoDEA school overseas keeps the program fully compliant with federal guidelines.<\/p>\n

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s school meal program has provided meals to Warfighters\u2019 children since 1957 at OCONUS DoDEA schools.\u00a0Last year, the Exchange provided 3.6 million meals at more than 70 schools in Europe and the Pacific. The Exchange provides school lunches as a service to the military community, pricing each lunch, on average, approximately $2 below the actual cost of $5.50 per plate. DoDEA and USDA reimburse the Exchange for direct costs not recouped by sales.<\/p>\n

Student menus are set by the Exchange\u2019s registered dietitian in accordance with current USDA guidelines and are based on recommended Dietary Guidelines.\u00a0All school lunch menus meet or exceed nutrient standards based on grade level for calories, sodium, sugar and fat.<\/p>\n

For more information on the Exchange\u2019s school meal program, visit http:\/\/www.aafes.com\/about-exchange\/school-lunch-program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Facebook Friendly Version: <\/strong>To comply with federal law, Department of Defense Education Activity overseas school breakfast and lunch prices have been updated for the 2026-27 school year. Read more: https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Q7PG-3aC<\/a><\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service has gone where Soldiers, Airmen, Guardians and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing\u00a0valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 51st-largest retailer in the United States. 100% of Exchange earnings support military communities. In the last 10 years, your Exchange benefit has provided $15 billion\u00a0in earnings that support the military community, including through contributions to critical military Quality-of-Life programs.\u00a0<\/strong>The Exchange is a nonappropriated fund entity of the Department of War and is directed by a Board of Directors. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at\u00a0http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0follow us on X at\u00a0https:\/\/x.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a>.<\/u><\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Media Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Chris Ward, 214-312-3861 or wardchr@aafes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:<\/p>\n

Facebook:\u00a0 www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter:\u00a0 https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DALLAS \u2013 To comply with federal law, school meals will increase by 25 cents at Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools outside the continental United States (OCONUS) for the 2026-27 school year. The lunch price for elementary (grades UPK-five) and secondary (grades six-12) students\u2019 meals will be $3.75 and $4, respectively. Breakfast for all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":8093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[25],"tags":[160,174,106,545,732,35,63,79,110,406],"class_list":["post-12190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press_releases","tag-aafes","tag-army-air-force-exchange-service","tag-army-and-air-force-exchange-service","tag-dodea","tag-meal-pricing","tag-military","tag-military-children","tag-oconus","tag-school-lunch-program","tag-school-meal-program"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/02\/25\/overseas-dodea-meal-pricing-set-for-2026-27-school-year\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Overseas DoDEA Meal Pricing Set for 2026-27 School Year","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/02\/25\/overseas-dodea-meal-pricing-set-for-2026-27-school-year\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2026\/02\/25\/overseas-dodea-meal-pricing-set-for-2026-27-school-year\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/06\/School-Meal-Program-logo-1-1-e1654103987320.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/06\/School-Meal-Program-logo-1-1-e1654103987320.jpg"},"articleSection":"Press Releases","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chris Ward"}],"creator":["Chris Ward"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":["aafes","army & air force exchange service","army and air force exchange service","dodea","meal pricing","military","military children","oconus","school lunch program","school meal program"],"dateCreated":"2026-02-25T14:15:57Z","datePublished":"2026-02-25T14:15:57Z","dateModified":"2026-02-25T14:15:57Z"},"rendered":"