FNS Documents & Resources

This memorandum provides best practices for establishing a single application process for experienced program operators providing year-round meal services to at-risk children in low-income areas.

The purpose of this new collection is to collect qualitative and quantitative stakeholder feedback through meetings, focus groups, interviews, other stakeholder interactions and surveys, as well as requests for administrative data, as part of the planning process for FNS regulatory actions, the semi-annual regulatory agenda, research studies, outreach, training and the development of guidance.

FNS plans to collect periodic data to obtain information on operational challenges facing institutions who operate or administer child nutrition programs, including state agencies, SFAs and Summer Food Service Program sponsors. The Operational Challenges in Child Nutrition Programs (OCCNP) Surveys, are designed to collect timely data on emerging school food service operational challenges, including but not limited to supply chain disruptions, food costs, and labor shortages, and/or related issues in SY 2023–2024, 2024–2025, and SY 2025–2026.

This collection is an extension, without change, of a currently approved collection for maintaining the National Disqualified List of institutions, day care home providers, and individuals that have been terminated or otherwise disqualified from CACFP participation.

Pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age 5 are eligible. They must meet income guidelines, a state residency requirement, and be individually determined to be at "nutritional risk" by a health professional.

This is a revision to a currently approved collection, to prevent a lapse in OMB approval of data collection. This collection allows for Food Distribution Programs, such as the National School Lunch Program, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and The Emergency Food Assistance Program, to run effectively.

In April 2022, federal agencies transitioned from use of the DUNS number to the Unique Entity Identifier. Child Nutrition Program Operators are required to have the UEI to receive payments from state agencies who administer the child nutrition programs on behalf of the federal government. This memorandum provides answers to questions related to the transition.

This memorandum provides notice to child nutrition program operators regarding the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, enacted on Dec. 29, 2022. 

This webinar provided state agencies and school districts instructions on how to navigate the USDA Foods Database to access vendor-specific product information, including nutrients, allergens, ingredients and certifications.

This memorandum provides the information needed to conduct the FY 2023 reallocation of SAE funds in the child nutrition programs.