FNS Documents & Resources

A final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Community Eligibility Provision-Increasing Options for Schools (88 FR 65778), was published on Sept. 26, 2023, with an effective date of Oct. 26, 2023, that established the 25 percent minimum ISP threshold.  As a result, more students, households, and schools have the opportunity to experience CEP’s benefits, such as increasing access to school meals at no cost, eliminating unpaid meal charges, minimizing stigma, and streamlining meal service operations.

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will discontinue the requirement for vendors to use high security seals to secure USDA Foods deliveries as of July 1, 2023. 

The Food Buying Guide for child nutrition programs has all of the current information in one manual to help you and your purchasing agent buy the right amount of food and the appropriate type of food for your program(s), and determine the specific contribution each food makes toward the meal pattern requirements.

This memorandum provides return to the full issuance of eight units of vegetables or soup in CSFP food packages for May 2022 distributions and beyond.

Households with a child  approved to receive free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program during the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year are eligible for the Federal Communication Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit. EBB is a federal program to help eligible families pay for internet service during the pandemic.

This memorandum provides information on the exclusion as income of rebates under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 in FDPIR, TEFAP, and CSFP.

This memorandum is in regards to a temporary shortage of ultra-high temperature (UHT) fluid milk in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.

This memorandum transmits the 2021 Income Guidelines or state agencies and ITOs in determining the eligibility of individuals applying to participate in CSFP. These guidelines should be used in conjunction with CSFP regulations which establish household income limits.

Under this waiver, for all states, Summer Food Service Program and National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option closed enrolled sites during the COVID-19 public health emergency may determine site eligibility through area eligibility without collecting income eligibility applications.

This waiver extends until June 30, 2021, the Nationwide Waiver to Extend Area Eligibility Waivers – Extension 2. It applies to state agencies administrating, and local organizations operating, the SFSP and NSLP Seamless Summer Option.