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Resource | Technical Assistance & Guidance Community Eligibility Provision Resource Center

The CEP resource center provides extensive resources for parents, teachers, and school officials at the local, state and Federal level to better understand CEP and its positive benefits, along with useful tools to help facilitate successful implementation of the provision in your school!

10/12/2023
Resource | Technical Assistance & Guidance Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs: Training Resources

A variety of trainings are available on the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs. Complete the training modules and view recorded webinars to assist in understanding and using the FBG and all its features.

09/20/2023
Basic page Certification of Compliance

The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act initially provided an additional 6-cents per lunch reimbursement to school food authorities that were certified to be in compliance with the new meal patterns. The increased reimbursement, a significant investment in improving the quality of school meals, became available starting Oct.1, 2012. School food authorities that continue to maintain certification of compliance continue to receive this performance based funding which is adjusted annually if needed. The current performance based reimbursement rate is 8-cents per reimbursable lunch.

08/18/2023
Resource | Technical Assistance & Guidance | FNS-GD-2018-0001 Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

The Food Buying Guide for child nutrition programs has all of the current information in one manual to help you and your purchasing agent buy the right amount of food and the appropriate type of food for your program(s), and determine the specific contribution each food makes toward the meal pattern requirements.

07/11/2022
Basic page CN Labeling Program

The USDA, child nutrition (CN) labeling program provides food manufacturers the option to include a standardized food crediting statement on their product label.

02/12/2021
Resource | Technical Assistance & Guidance Streamline CACFP Resource Center

Why is streamlining a big deal? Because reducing paperwork increases program efficiency, to make CACFP work better! Whether you are wondering how to make the best use of resources to implement the new meal requirements, or just looking for ideas to help you operate the program more effectively, here is information you can use!

04/02/2019
Resource | FAQs/Q&As | FNS-GD-2019-0007 School Meals FAQs

School meals are required to meet specific nutrition standards to operate the school meals programs. The standards align school meals with the latest nutrition science and the real world circumstances of America’s schools. 

02/27/2019
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2018-0049 Update of Food Crediting in the Child Nutrition Programs

This memorandum informs stakeholders on the progress made by FNS in updating the food crediting system for all child nutrition programs. This is a first step towards improving the crediting system to best address today’s evolving food and nutrition environment and meet the needs of those operating and benefiting from the CNPs.

SP08 CACFP02 SFSP02-2019
12/04/2018
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2013-0004 Separation of Vegetables/Fruit in the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

The Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs final rule was published on Jan. 26, 2012. The final rule requires that fruits and vegetables be offered as separate meal components in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs.

SP37-2012
01/18/2013
Resource | Policy Memos | FNS-GD-2012-0073 Revised Meat/Meat Alternates and Milk Charts in the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

Attached are the Revised Meat/Meat Alternates and Milk charts of the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.

SP16-2013
12/14/2012
Page updated: October 14, 2021