USDA Helps Strengthen School Meal Programs in Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Feb. 7, 2023 – To address food insecurity in Puerto Rico and provide more equitable resources to remote locations, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is increasing the reimbursement rates that child nutrition program operators receive for meals served in Puerto Rico from 17% to 30% above the contiguous United States (CONUS) rates. The increased rates will also apply to Hawaii, Guam, and U.S. Virgin Islands as those locations also face unique hurdles associated with obtaining ingredients and getting needed supplies in island economies.
Healthy school meals are a top priority for USDA and FNS is committed to providing school meal operators on these islands with improved funding to operate these critical nutrition programs. In recognition of the higher food costs in these locations, the increased reimbursement rates will begin July 1 to help ensure Puerto Rico schools have access to the resources needed to continue serving children nutritious, high-quality food while also building a stronger, more competitive, and more resilient local food system.
“FNS’s child nutrition programs have a wide-reaching impact on the health and well-being of our nation’s children,” said Dr. Patty Bennett, FNS Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator. “This boost in reimbursement rates helps program operators in Puerto Rico address ongoing challenges associated with the costs of preparing and serving healthy and nutritious meals and builds a more resilient local food system.”
The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to financially supporting school meals and ensuring our nation’s children are nutritionally secure. This increase in rates is separate from the normal annual adjustment for reimbursement rates for child nutrition programs. Section 12(f) of the National School Lunch Act allows USDA to adjust reimbursement rates in outlying areas to reflect differences between the cost of providing meals and supplements in those areas and the costs of providing meals and supplements in all other states. The increased rates will apply until the next School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study is complete. Data collection for this comprehensive national study of the cost to produce a school meal is planned to begin in school year 2024-2025.
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of more than 15 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and wellbeing. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit https://www.fns.usda.gov/ and follow @USDANutrition.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
USDA Helps Strengthen School Meal Programs in Hawaii
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 7, 2023 - To address food insecurity in Hawaii and provide more equitable resources to remote locations, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is increasing the reimbursement rates that child nutrition program operators receive for meals served in Hawaii from 17% to 30% above the contiguous United States (CONUS) rates. The increased rates will also apply to Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as those locations also face unique hurdles associated with obtaining ingredients and getting needed supplies in their island economies.
Healthy school meals are a top priority for USDA and FNS is committed to providing school meal operators on these islands with improved funding to operate these critical nutrition programs. In recognition of the higher food costs in these locations, the increased reimbursement rates will begin on July 1 to help ensure Hawaii schools have access to the resources needed to continue serving children nutritious, high-quality food while also building a stronger, more competitive, and more resilient local food system.
“FNS’s child nutrition programs have a wide-reaching impact on the health and well-being of children,” said FNS Western Regional Administrator Jesus Mendoza. “This boost in reimbursement rates helps program operators in Hawaii address ongoing challenges associated with the costs of preparing and serving healthy and nutritious meals and builds a more resilient local food system.”
The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to financially supporting school meals and ensuring our nation’s children are nutritionally secure. This increase in rates is separate from the normal annual adjustment for reimbursement rates for child nutrition programs. Section 12(f) of the National School Lunch Act allows USDA to adjust reimbursement rates in outlying areas to reflect differences between the cost of providing meals and supplements in those areas and the costs of providing meals and supplements in all other states. The increased rates will apply until the next School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study is complete. Data collection for this comprehensive national study of the cost to produce a school meal is planned to begin in school year 2024-2025.
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service works to end hunger and improve food and nutrition security through a suite of more than 15 nutrition assistance programs, such as the school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP. Together, these programs serve 1 in 4 Americans over the course of a year, promoting consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable food essential to optimal health and wellbeing. FNS also provides science-based nutrition recommendations through the co-development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. FNS’s report, “Leveraging the White House Conference to Promote and Elevate Nutrition Security: The Role of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service,” highlights ways the agency will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy, released in conjunction with the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. To learn more about FNS, visit https://www.fns.usda.gov/ and follow @USDANutrition.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
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 notice announces the annual adjustments to the national average payments, the amount of money the federal government provides states for lunches, afterschool snacks, and breakfasts served to children participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs; to the maximum reimbursement rates, the maximum per lunch rate from federal funds that a state can provide a school food authority for lunches served to children participating in the National School Lunch Program; and to the rate of reimbursement for a half-pint of milk served to non-needy children in a school or institution that participates in the Special Milk Program for Children.
This memorandum includes questions and answers to provide clarification to state agencies, emergency shelters, and emergency shelters that operate at-risk after school care centers regarding meals and snacks served to young adults in the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
This Notice supersedes the notice published in the Aug. 7, 2019 issue of the Federal Register entitled National School Lunch, Special Milk, and School Breakfast Programs, National Average Payments/Maximum Reimbursement Rates (FR Doc. 84-38590). It establishes new reimbursement rates for Guam and Virgin Islands to match the reimbursement rate provided to Puerto Rico, and corrects an incorrect date.
This Notice announces the annual adjustments to the national average payments, the amount of money the federal government provides states for lunches, afterschool snacks, and breakfasts served to children participating in the national school lunch and school breakfast programs.
This memorandum provides guidance to state distributing agencies and recipient agencies on the use of market basket analysis in procuring processed end products for USDA Foods in Schools and commercial goods for the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program.
The purpose of this policy memorandum is to clarify the options available to state distributing agencies or recipient agencies in assigning value to USDA donated foods for audit purposes.
The purpose of this policy memorandum is to provide guidance in ensuring compliance with requirements in Subpart D of 7 CFR Part 250 with respect to crediting for, and use of donated foods in contracts with food service management companies (FSMCs).