FNS Documents & Resources

The Operational Challenges in Child Nutrition Programs surveys, are designed to collect timely data on emerging school food service operational challenges, including but not limited to supply chain disruptions, food costs, and labor shortages, and/or related issues.

This collection of information is necessary for the application of the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards by school food authorities.

This publication provides consideration, tips, best practices, and sample menus for school meals program operators who wish to distribute multiple meals at one time.

USDA is extending the public comment period on the proposed rule, “Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” to May 10, 2023.

This rulemaking proposes long-term school nutrition standards based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, and feedback the USDA received from child nutrition program stakeholders during a robust stakeholder engagement campaign. 

These training tools can be used to empower CACFP providers and operators with the knowledge, skills and expertise to implement CACFP meal pattern requirements.

This is a training tool for CACFP operators with infants discussing the infant meal pattern, developmental readiness, hunger and fullness signs, handling breastmilk and infant formula, solid foods, what is creditable, and more.

This is a request for information to gather detailed comments from stakeholders about the serious deficiency process in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The serious deficiency process provides a systematic way to correct serious management problems and, when that effort fails, protect the program through due process.

 This is a new generic clearance that will allow FNS to quickly collect and analyze specific information from state and local administrators of the special nutrition programs, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Food Distribution on Indian Reservation, Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. 

This final rule updates the meal pattern requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program to better align them with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.