FNS Documents & Resources

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.

This fact sheet reviews school farms spanning acres in Minnesota, indoor tower gardens in Vermont, raised beds in New York City, aquaponic systems in the Virgin Islands, and native food gardens in tribal communities.

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. 

This fact sheet discusses how farm to school isn’t just for K-12 institutions; an increasing number of early child care and education providers are engaging in farm to preschool activities.

Tribal communities are growing gardens of all forms from medicinal gardens and small community gardens to larger food production gardens to school gardens. This fact sheet primarily focuses on tribal school gardens.

Recently, we have received several questions about the use of funds from the nonprofit school food service account to cover expenditures related to farm to school activities and school gardens. The questions and answers below address specific scenarios that school food authorities may be dealing with when considering the allowability of such costs.

Section 4 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act provides general cash for food assistance payments to states to assist schools in purchasing food. The NSLA provides two different section 4 payment levels for lunches served under the NSLP.

This memorandum provides information regarding the state agencies’ quarterly reporting requirements associated with identifying the number of school food authorities certified to receive the performance-based reimbursement for each lunch served in compliance with the new meal pattern requirements for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.

Recently, we have received several questions regarding the operation of a school garden. Attached are questions and answers to address this issue. As in the past, please share this information with your school food authorities.