FNS Documents & Resources

On April 25, 2024, FNS published the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This rule includes minor updates to the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program to better align Child Nutrition Program requirements. These updates represent continued progress toward supporting the nutrition quality of school meals, strengthening the Child Nutrition Programs, and advancing USDA’s commitment to nutrition security. 

This memorandum provides notice to child nutrition program operators regarding Sections 739, 747, 748, 769, and 770 of Division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, enacted on March 9, 2024. This memorandum applies to state agencies administering, and local organizations operating, the federal CNPs.

Policy guidance, lessons learned, and toolkits to operate a successful D-SNAP program.

With the revision, FNS will seek approval for the School Meals Operations (SMO) study to collect survey and administrative data about SY 2023-24 from a census of state agencies. The SMO study will not collect survey data about SY 2023-24 from school food authorities.

The USDA, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) coordinates with State agencies, Tribal Nations, and voluntary organizations as they develop disaster nutrition assistance strategies before, during, and after disasters and emergencies.

USDA’s approach to tackling food and nutrition insecurity emphasizes equity to ensure our efforts serve all populations.

This webinar shows tips for preparing and supporting children, training staff, and meeting CACFP meal pattern requirements to successfully serve meals “family style.” 

This rulemaking finalizes long-term school nutrition requirements based on the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, robust stakeholder input, and lessons learned from prior rulemakings.

The final rule - Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans - is the next step in an ongoing effort toward healthier school meals that USDA and the broader school meals community have been partnering on for well over a decade.  This table is a reference tool for stakeholders to visualize the proposed implementation timeline.