FNS Documents & Resources

Section 9(b)(12)(A)(i) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act restricts categorical eligibility for free school meals based on SNAP participation to children who are members of a household receiving assistance under SNAP. Therefore, a child who is a member of a household that is receiving “zero benefits” from SNAP is not categorically eligible for free meals, unless the child is categorically eligible for another reason.

This document informs the public about a change in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans that affects the proposed rule "Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs'' issued by the Department of Agriculture and published in the Federal Register on Jan. 13, 2011.

Effective July 1, 2004, school officials verifying income eligibility for free and reduced price meals must allow households to provide documentation of income for any point in time between the month prior to application and the time the household is required to provide income documentation.

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 specifies that households’ eligibility for free and reduced price meals shall remain in effect beginning on the date of eligibility for the current school year and ending on a date during the subsequent school year, as determined by the Secretary.

The Food and Nutrition Service is issuing final regulations amending the meal pattern for infants less than 12 months of age in the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

The Food and Nutrition Service is issuing final regulations amending the meal pattern for infants less than 12 months of age in the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

This memorandum clarifies the term "equivalent combination" found in the traditional and enhanced food based meal pattern charts at §§ 220.8(g)(2) and 220.8(g)(3) of the School Breakfast Program regulations.

This interim rule amends Summer Food Service Program regulations to incorporate nondiscretionary changes made by the Healthy Meals for Healthy Americans Act of 1994, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, and the William F. Goodling Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 1998.

FNS published the subject interim regulation, and established the effective date as Dec. 15, 1999, because the customary effective date for regulations is 30 days after publication and given the health and reimbursement implications, we wished to implement the regulation as soon as possible.

This rule amends the regulations for the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program to eliminate the option of serving whole cow’s milk as part of reimbursable meals for infants under one year of age.