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.

The Summer Food for Children Demonstrations are a series of projects to develop and test methods of providing access to food for low-income children in urban and rural areas during the summer months when schools are not in regular session.

FNS published a final rule on program integrity to ensure that child nutrition programs are properly operated and managed to protect federal funds and taxpayer dollars.

Child Nutrition program operators may want to visit a farm before purchasing produce. During a visit, you can observe and ask questions about produce handling and food safety practices.

This document provides examples of using the rural non-congregate meal service option for the Summer Food Service Program and the Seamless Summer Option in summer 2023

This memorandum provides information to assist Indian Tribal Organizations (ITO) in preparing to implement Summer EBT.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023 authorized a permanent, nationwide Summer EBT program beginning in 2024. The Act requires FNS to promulgate interim regulations within a year of the Act’s enactment. Interim regulations are effective upon publication and FNS will accept comments on the interim rule to inform subsequent rulemakings. 

This guidance memo addresses sponsors’ monitoring requirements of its sites and food service operations in the SFSP. This guidance applies to sponsors’ management responsibilities of conducting initial site visits and full reviews of food service, including visits of non-congregate rural meal sites.