Little is known about the food safety risks associated with the various production methods by which schools prepare and serve food to students. Given this, the Center for Food Safety in Child Nutrition Programs at Kansas State University conducted a study.
Many children across the U.S rely on school meals for nutrition. In 2022, the USDA’s National School Lunch Program served 4.9 billion children. School meals should keep kids healthy and help them reach their full potential by providing the nutrition they need.
Recently, FNS has received a number of questions related to buying local meat, poultry, game, and eggs; this memorandum seeks to clarify the regulatory requirements related to food safety and answer specific questions related to these products with a series of questions and answers.
Check out this database to access vendor-specific product information for all direct delivered USDA Foods for the National School Lunch Program.
Each Action Sheet addresses a specific area of food safety by providing you with background information, action steps that will help you build your framework, and resources for the in-depth information you will need to develop or strengthen that area.
Produce Safety University is a one-week training course designed to help school foodservice staff identify and manage food safety risks associated with fresh produce.
The FNS Food Safety division develops education, instruction and technical assistance resources for individuals working in federally funded nutrition assistance programs such as the NSLP, SBP, CACFP, and SFSP. Many of these resources are created in partnership with the Institute of Child Nutrition.
FNS supports nutrition assistance programs with educational resources to promote and improve produce safety practices in their operations.
The FNS announces the "Farm to School State Formula Grant" established by the American Rescue Plan Act.
The resources on this page will help ensure child nutrition program operators have the resources and knowledge necessary to incorporate local foods into their day-to-day operations.