This final rule - Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans - is the next step in continuing the science-based improvement of school meals and advancing USDA’s commitment to nutrition security.
School meals will continue to include fruits and vegetables, emphasize whole grains, and give kids the right balance of nutrients for healthy, tasty meals. For the first time, schools will focus on products with less added sugar, especially in school breakfast.
School nutrition professionals continue to make school meals the healthiest meals children eat in a day! To take school meals to the next level, USDA is updating the school nutrition standards after considering recommendations from the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans and listening to a diverse range of voices with experience in child nutrition and health.
This memorandum provides the information needed to conduct the FY 2024 reallocation of State Administrative Expense (SAE) funds. All state agencies must submit an SAE Funds Reallocation Report (FNS-525) to their respective FNS regional office by March 1, 2024, even if the state agency is neither requesting nor returning funds.
Updated instructions for the state administrative expenses recovery process and SAE financial status report (FNS-777-SAE) for child nutrition programs.
This webinar gives an overview of the rulemaking process, highlights specific regulatory changes and provisions that impact the school meal programs, and provides information regarding resources for the final rule.
Check out this database to access vendor-specific product information for all direct delivered USDA Foods for the National School Lunch Program.
FNS is aware that schools in multiple states are experiencing milk supply chain challenges related to packaging issues. This memorandum provides state agencies with information about existing authority related to schools and other child nutrition program operators experiencing inadequate milk supply. FNS encourages state agencies to use this authority when needed to support program operators impacted by the current milk packaging challenges.
The USDA Foods Toolkit is a collection of valuable resources to assist child nutrition professionals in effectively using their USDA Food entitlement and to help them educate students, staff, and the community about the healthy contributions that USDA Foods provide to their meal programs.
The following videos are available to demonstrate functionality and provide tutorials for specific activities in IFMS.