FNS Documents & Resources

This fact sheet provides information on Good Agricultural Practices, recognized practices intended to prevent the microbial contamination of fresh produce, and how these practices apply to purchasing and growing local food products for farm to school activities. 

This fact sheet outlines a number of additional resources for those seeking to directly purchase or raise food products for school nutrition programs.

"Food Safety Frequently Asked Questions: The Food Safety Modernization Act and its Impact on Farm to School Activities": This document includes common questions related to food safety when purchasing locally grown and raised food products directly from producers as well as food safety considerations for edible campus gardens.

On Aug.16, 2023, FNS announced the award of $9.4 million in federal funding for the FY 2023 Team Nutrition Grant for Supporting Nutrition Education for School-Aged Children.

See what fruits, vegetables, proteins, legumes, grains, dairy, soups, and traditional foods are available through FDPIR.

USDA Foods Available List for CSFP.

Designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools, Patrick Leahy Farm to School grants can help farm to school programs get started or expand existing efforts. Funds support a wide range of activities from training, planning, and developing partnerships to creating new menu items, establishing supply chains, offering taste tests to children, purchasing equipment, planting school gardens, and organizing field trips to agricultural operations.

The Farm to School Census checklist has suggestions for school food authorities to prepare for the Farm to School Census.

Check out the three-part "Crediting Grains in the Child Nutrition Programs", the final three tip sheets of the "Crediting in the Child Nutrition Programs" tip sheet series! Use these as a quick reference and get to know the grains requirements across all the child nutrition programs.

As part of the WIC innovation and modernization efforts to be funded under ARPA, FNS is supporting planning and implementation projects focused on enhancements that improve the WIC participant experience, as evidenced by enhancing the WIC shopping experience, increasing participant enrollment, reducing unnecessary administrative burden for both participants and administrators, including through data matching to streamline enrollment, and retaining eligible participants while improving equity