FNS Documents & Resources

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.

This webinar will focus on how CACFP operators can identify grain-based desserts, and use this knowledge to plan menus that meet program requirements.

Este seminario web se enfoca en cómo los operadores del CACFP pueden usar la lista de ingredientes de los alimentos para identificar postres a base de granos, y usar este conocimiento para planificar menús que cumplan con los requisitos del programa.

Este seminario web se enfoca en diferentes técnicas de planificación de comidas que se pueden utilizar para servir comidas y meriendas saludables y atractivas que cumplen con los requisitos del patrón de comidas para el CACFP y pre-escolares.

The CACFP Halftime: Thirty on Thursdays webinar series is a set of monthly interactive, skills-building webinars that focus on hot topics related to the updated Child and Adult Care Food Program meal patterns. 

The fiscal year 2018 Direct Certification Improvement Grant Request for Applications are available to state agencies that administer the National School Lunch and the School Breakfast programs to fund the costs of improving your direct certification rates with SNAP, and other needs-based assistance programs.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the final rule, Nutrition Labeling of Standard Menu Items in Restaurants and Similar Retail Food Establishments in the Federal Register (79 FR 71155) on Dec. 1, 2014.

FNS invites state agencies that administer the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program to apply to participate in demonstration projects that will evaluate the effectiveness of conducting direct certification with the Medicaid program.

The attached Q&As are issued in follow-up to Policy Memorandum SP 50-2013, Release of the new state agency Direct Certification Rate Data Element Report.

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, as amended by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010  require that children living in households receiving assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program be directly certified for free school meals under the National School Lunch Program and/or the School Breakfast Program.