FNS Documents & Resources

These questions and answers provide guidance for recently published transitional standards for milk, whole grains and sodium.

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

This memorandum provides temporary issuance of CSFP food packages with less or no vegetables due to issues with vendors’ ability to supply canned vegetables.

FNS waives, for all states, the requirements to serve meals that meet the meal pattern requirements during school year 2020-21. This waiver revises the Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal Pattern Flexibility in the Child Nutrition Programs – Extension #4 granted on June 25, 2020, for all programs except the Summer Food Service Program. This waiver applies to state agencies administering, and local organizations operating, the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program.

FNS waives, for all states, the requirements to serve SFSP and NSLP Seamless Summer Option meals that meet the meal pattern requirements during the public health emergency due to COVID–19. This waiver extends the Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal Pattern Flexibility in the Summer Food Service Program – Extension 7, granted on Aug. 31, 2020, that expires on Dec. 31, 2020.

FNS is extending a nationwide waiver to support access to nutritious meals while minimizing potential exposure to the novel coronavirus (COVID–19). This extension of Nationwide Waiver to Allow Meal Pattern Flexibility in the child nutrition programs, issued March 25, 2020, applies to the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program. This waiver remains in effect until June 30, 2020.

FNS is extending a nationwide waiver to support access to nutritious meals while minimizing potential exposure to the novel coronavirus. This extension  applies to the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program.

This notice announces the surplus and purchased foods that the Department expects to make available for donation to states for use in providing nutrition assistance to the needy under TEFAP in FY 2019. The foods made available under this notice must, at the discretion of the state, be distributed to eligible recipient agencies for use in preparing meals and/or for distribution to households for home consumption.

USDA Food and Nutrition Service policy memo SP 26-2013, "Extending Flexibility in the Meat/Meat Alternate and Grains Maximums for School Year 2013-14" extends the flexibility regarding Meat/Meat Alternate (M/MA) maximums for SY 2013-13, allowing state agencies to assess compliance based on the minimum daily and weekly serving requirements only.  

CACFP benefits have been extended to include meal services to children who reside with their families in emergency shelters, under the National School Lunch Act. Because the circumstances of an emergency shelter are so different from any other type of CACFP institution, we thought it would be helpful to share these questions and our responses.