FNS Documents & Resources

This waiver extends the Nationwide Waiver to Allow Offer Versus Serve Flexibilities in the SFSP  through Dec. 31, 2020, in conjunction with the Nationwide Waiver to Allow Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option Operations through December 2020.

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance for state agencies and program operators on the status of nationwide waivers of statutory and regulatory requirements in the Summer Food Service Program.

This is a request for information from Management Information Systems software and hardware vendors and developers to learn about the functionality of state and school food authority National School Lunch and School Breakfast program data management information systems. 

Offer versus Serve is a provision in the NSLP and School Breakfast Program that allows students to decline some of the food offered. The goals of OVS are to reduce food waste in the school meals programs while permitting students to decline foods they do not intend to eat. 

This instruction is intended to clarify allowable variations to child nutrition program food components in order to meet religious needs among Jewish schools, institutions and sponsors. 

It has come to our attention that there may be some confusion concerning fluid milk, and how it is offered in reimbursable lunches. Under all menu planning approaches, fluid milk is a separate food component/menu item.

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.

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 made a number of changes to the National School Lunch Act which governs the waiver process in the child nutrition programs. This memorandum identifies the changes and provides guidance to be used in developing and submitting waiver requests to the child nutrition division.