Fruits and veggies are going to cost a little more for Austin families next year.

Austin Public School board members voted to increase school lunches Monday because of incoming federal mandates. Breakfast costs increase by 5 cents and lunch will increase by 10 cents. The proposed measure won’t affect free and reduced lunch prices.

These increases come in the wake of the federal reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, also known as the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. The reauthorization mandates schools to use more fresh fruits and vegetables as well as providing a snack option for elementary school students during the day. Since fresh produce costs more, schools are required to gradually raise their prices to between $2.80 to $3, the amount schools currently are reimbursed for every free or reduced meal they offer according to Mary Weikum, director of food services.

“We’re hoping by raising it a dime this year, we can hold it steady for a year or two after that,” Weikum said.

Weikum stressed that Austin food costs won’t go that high in the foreseeable future, but could happen sometime if federal guidelines are still in place.

“People need to understand that there’s a tradeoff,” said Mark Stotts, the district’s finance and operations director. “If you’re going to go with fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, there is going to be a higher costs.”

Austin has to prepare for other guidelines as well. Federal mandates are making schools offer much more fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as many more varieties. Some federal guidelines are very particular in what schools can offer. Schools can’t offer as many starchy vegetables like potatoes, and must offer more vegetable varieties as well.

Those rules go into effect at the start of the 2012 school year, and Austin is in compliance with about half of the upcoming requirements.

“This is going to be a many-year process,” Weikum said.