FNS Documents & Resources

The Summer Food Service Program for Children: 2016 Nutrition Guide for Sponsors was developed to help sponsors plan and serve menus with a variety of foods and beverages rich in nutrients, and operate a safe and successful food service. This guide offers menu planning and nutrition guidance along with sample breakfast, lunch, and snack menus. Also included are food service record-keeping requirements, food buying and storage information, and food safety and sanitation guidance.

The 2010 Agricultural, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act enabled FNS to initiate and carry out the Summer Food for Children demonstration projects, aimed at preventing food insecurity and hunger among children during summer months. 

This report examines administrative data obtained from the eight states that operated the 2011 eSFSP demonstrations to assess changes within demonstration sites compared to non-demonstration sites. 

Parts of this memorandum have been rescinded by SFSP 01-2019: Summer Food Service Program Memoranda Rescission, Oct. 11, 2018. Rescinded policy has been struck through.

In November 2005, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) issued Policy Memorandum FD-049 to assist school food authorities (SFAs) in providing healthier options and a wider variety of cheese products for students. The policy memorandum permits processors to substitute cheese donated by the Department of Agriculture (i.e., USDA cheese) with other varieties of cheese produced for the commercial market.

In December 2000, FNS was authorized to conduct a pilot to increase SFSP participation in a number of states with low rates of feeding low-income children in the summer. Under the pilot, meals served by eligible sponsors in the 14 states are reimbursed at the maximum allowable rate. In addition, administrative record keeping for the pilot sponsors was reduced since they were no longer required to record administrative and operating costs separately and they did not have to report costs to state agencies.

The purpose of this policy memorandum is to clarify a state distributing agency's (SDA) responsibilities regarding (1) the approval of end products for processing; and (2) monitoring of sales of such end products to school food authorities (SF A) in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) by reviewing a processor's monthly performance report.

The purpose of this policy memorandum is to provide direction and guidance to SDAs in order to ensure compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements, and to make certain that all SFAs receive their planned assistance level and maximize their use of USDA Foods to meet the nutrition standards in the NSLP.

Final Congressional Status Report on the 2012 Summer Food Service Program Enhancement Demonstrations

The purpose of this memorandum is to address recent inquiries on the application of the geographic preference option in the procurement of unprocessed locally grown or raised agricultural products.