USDA Foods from Farm to Plate e-letters feature resources, news, and best practices, rotating our monthly focus between a trio of program-specific e-letters.
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.
The USDA Foods Toolkit is a collection of valuable resources to assist child nutrition professionals in effectively using their USDA Food entitlement and to help them educate students, staff, and the community about the healthy contributions that USDA Foods provide to their meal programs.
Many families rely on infant formula to feed their babies. Infant formula can provide important nutrients for your baby’s growth and development. Some FNS programs – including CACFP, SNAP, and WIC – provide access to formula to support healthy infant development. USDA is committed to ensuring that FNS program participants always have access to the formula they need.
The USDA, FDA, and other federal partners continue to work diligently to protect the health infants who are fed using infant formula.
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will discontinue the requirement for vendors to use high security seals to secure USDA Foods deliveries as of July 1, 2023.
This factsheet explains how USDA Foods support the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the school meal pattern requirements to make it easier for schools to prepare healthy meals using local foods.
This page provides resources that can help FNS program operators prevent foodborne illness during emergencies and disasters. The Food Safety Emergency Response Pocket Guide supports school nutrition professionals in their response to food safety emergencies caused by disasters and weather-related events. The Assembling Food Safety Emergency Supply Kits poster highlights supplies to include in emergency kits.
Letter to reiterate the flexibilities that USDA has made available to all WIC state agencies and to urge all states to take additional action to make it easier for families to get the formula they need.
This letter is in response to correspondence from WIC state agencies using offline Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) technology or paper food instruments, and requesting program flexibility from the WIC program federal requirements as a result of the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 Abbott recall of certain powder infant formula, exempt infant formula, and WIC-eligible nutritionals on the nationwide supply chain leading to both periodic location- and product-based WIC infant formula and exempt infant formula shortages.