USDA is committed to providing nutrition assistance to hard-hit families across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. In support of President Biden’s call to action on hunger, USDA announced that it is increasing the Pandemic EBT benefit by approximately 15 percent, providing more money for low-income families and millions of children missing meals due to school and child care closures.
FNS is proposing to amend its regulations to make access and parity improvements within several food distribution programs, including the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, and USDA Foods disaster response.
FNS is releasing new guidance today to assist states in the development of Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) plans for the summer of 2023. The guidance consists of a Q&A document and a summer P-EBT plan template.
The term "Alternate Protein Product" is the name used by FNS to identify products meeting requirements set forth in Appendix A of the NSLP, SBP, SFSP, and the CACFP within the section entitled Alternate Protein Products.
Nationwide waiver of the summer sponsor application deadline and to allow reimbursement for meals served prior to notification of approval for summer 2022 operations.
Pursuant to the authority in Section 2202 of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and current national supply chain constraints due to COVID-19, FNS is granting a waiver of certain fiscal action requirements in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. This waiver is available for any state where there is a supply chain disruption with respect to foods served under such a qualified program and such disruption is due to COVID–19. FNS is also extending this flexibility to the NSLP Seamless Summer Option for the duration of this waiver.
Pursuant to Section 2202(a) of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and based on the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, FNS is establishing a nationwide waiver to allow school food authorities to claim National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option meals and snacks at the applicable Summer Food Service Program reimbursement rates in summer 2022. This waiver will ensure continuity of program operations and access to nutritious meals for program participants this summer.
USDA is committed to providing nutrition assistance to hard-hit families across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. In support of President Biden’s call to action on hunger, USDA announced that it is increasing the Pandemic EBT benefit by approximately 15 percent, providing more money for low-income families and millions of children missing meals due to school and child care closures.
These questions and answers provide guidance for recently published transitional standards for milk, whole grains and sodium.
This guidance describes $1 billion being provided by FNS to enhance local school districts’ ability to purchase foods for school meals by offering resources needed to address supply chain challenges directly to schools and school districts.