FNS Documents & Resources

The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023 authorized a permanent, nationwide Summer EBT program beginning in 2024. The Act requires FNS to promulgate interim regulations within a year of the Act’s enactment. Interim regulations are effective upon publication and FNS will accept comments on the interim rule to inform subsequent rulemakings. 

The ongoing infant formula shortage due to supply chain issues, which worsened due to a major formula recall in February 2022, has left many CACFP operators concerned about access to formula and their options for safely feeding infants in their care.  

FNS is cancelling Policy Memoranda FD-010, FD-027, FD-028, FD-029, FD-032, FD-053, FD-055, FD-071, FD-073, FD-074, FD-083, FD-086, FD-087, FD-090, FD-105, and FD-115. The guidance provided by these memoranda are either outdated, obsolete, or otherwise captured in more current memoranda.

This memorandum provides a reminder overview of options available under current program policy and regulation for connecting children and adult survivors, who have evacuated from areas subject to major disaster and emergency declarations, and may be staying in shelters, with child nutrition program benefits.

This memorandum addresses inquiries regarding flexibility in determining the effective date of eligibility for students who are directly certified to receive free meals or free milk in the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Special Milk Program.

This memorandum clarifies the flexibility available to local educational agency officials for establishing the effective date of eligibility for children certified for free or reduced price meals in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and free milk in the Special Milk Program based on household applications.

The purpose of this memorandum is to consolidate our policy regarding the participation of Head Start Programs in the child nutrition programs. For more information about the Head Start Program and Early Head Start Program.

This memorandum is to provide guidance on the verification process and reporting for categorically eligible foster children

This is a reminder of the statutory and regulatory requirements for categorical eligibility for the Child Nutrition Programs based on receipt of benefits from each state’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act restricts categorical eligibility to those TANF programs with standards that are comparable to or more restrictive than those in effect on June 1, 1995.

This policy memorandum is the result of activities undertaken to plan a government-wide response to a potential human pandemic and addresses the operation of its USDA food programs during a major pandemic event.