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.

Attached to this memorandum, please find a revised edition of the Prototype Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals, with an accompanying instructions document. These materials may be adapted for direct use by state and local agencies, or as a reference for designing an effective application packet that meets all statutory and regulatory requirements. 

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

This waiver cancels selected administrative data reporting requirements in the child nutrition programs.

This extension of Nationwide Waiver of Onsite Monitoring Requirements in the School Meals Programs – Extension, issued June 8, 2020 to waive the requirements until Aug.  31, 2020 applies to the NSLP and the School Breakfast Program. The onsite monitoring portion of this waiver remains in effect through June 30, 2021.

The National School Lunch Program regulations at § 210.18   Administrative reviews specify the requirements for conducting Administrative Reviews. The documents on this page include the Administrative Review Manual and other documents and tools available for conducting these compliance reviews.