Washington, DC, March 17, 2020 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced new contacts to encourage communication with USDA to help feed kids and ensure the United States food supply chain remains strong in response to the COVID-19 outbreak:

“Food is essential all year round, but in the face of a pandemic it is critical the shelves remain stocked and supplies remain plentiful. America’s farmers and ranchers, and those on the front lines in the food service industry are doing their part,” said Secretary Perdue. “President Trump is encouraging a whole of America approach to the challenges we currently face. At USDA we know when we work together to solve the problems facing us, we can overcome this time of uncertainty and fear. If you have ideas or solutions for USDA, I urge you to reach out – we want to hear from the experts in the field.”

For solutions to feeding children impacted by COVID-19, email FeedingKids@usda.gov. For solutions impacting America’s food supply chain and other logistical complications, email FoodSupplyChain@usda.gov.

Feeding Kids:

Today, Secretary Perdue announced a collaboration with the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, McLane Global, PepsiCo, and others to deliver nearly 1,000,000 meals per week to students in a limited number of rural schools closed due to COVID-19. These boxes will contain five days worth of shelf-stable, nutritious, individually packaged foods that meet USDA’s summer food requirements. The use of this innovative delivery system will ensure rural children receive nutritious food while limiting exposure to COVID-19.

Last week, Secretary Perdue announced proactive flexibilities to allow meal service during school closures to minimize potential exposure to the coronavirus. During an unexpected school closure, schools can leverage their participation in one of USDA’s meal programs to provide meals to students. Under normal circumstances, those meals must be served in a group setting. However, in a public health emergency, the law allows USDA the authority to waive the group setting meal requirement, which is vital during a social distancing situation.

Food Supply Chain:

President Trump’s whole of government approach is ensuring food and essentials are constantly available. USDA has been in communication with Food and Grocery Stakeholders and Executives and has hosted stakeholder calls with President Trump at the White House to discuss the impact COVID-19 has on America’s food supply chain.

While it is important to have shelf-stable foods on hand, there is no need to hoard items. Our supply chains remain strong, so please do your part to ensure we stay calm and act responsibly.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Washington, DC, March 6, 2020 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved a request from Washington State to allow meal service during school closures to minimize potential exposure to the coronavirus. These meals are available at no cost to low-income children, and are not required to be served in a group setting, to ensure kids receive nutritious meals while schools are temporarily closed.

“USDA stands with the people of Washington State as a part of a federal-wide coordinated response,” said Brandon Lipps, Deputy Under Secretary for USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. “The flexibility provided by the waiver approved today will help ensure that our children get wholesome meals, safeguarding their health during times of need.”

The waiver announced today is effective immediately and will continue through June 30, 2020. USDA stands ready to provide additional assistance to the people of Washington State and other areas impacted by the coronavirus as allowed by law and in coordination with the much larger government-wide response.

All Food and Nutrition Service programs – including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs – have flexibilities and contingencies built-in to allow them to respond to on-the-ground realities in the event of a disaster or emergency situation. For more information about the coronavirus response across USDA, please visit: www.usda.gov/coronavirus.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs  that leverage American’s agricultural abundance to ensure children and low-income individuals and families have nutritious food to eat. FNS also co-develops the  Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provide science-based nutrition recommendations and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Washington, DC, March 7, 2020 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved a request from California to allow meal service during school closures to minimize potential exposure to the coronavirus. These meals are available at no cost to low-income children – and are not required to be served in a group setting – to ensure kids receive nutritious meals while schools are temporarily closed.

“USDA stands with the people of California as a part of a federal-wide coordinated response,” said Brandon Lipps, Deputy Under Secretary for USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. “The flexibility provided by the waiver approved today will help ensure that our children get wholesome meals, safeguarding their health during times of need.”

The waiver announced today is effective immediately and will continue through June 30, 2020. USDA stands ready to provide additional assistance to the people of California and other areas impacted by the coronavirus as allowed by law and in coordination with the much larger government-wide response.

All Food and Nutrition Service programs – including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs – have flexibilities and contingencies built-in to allow them to respond to on-the-ground realities in the event of a disaster or emergency situation. For more information about the coronavirus response across USDA, please visit: www.usda.gov/coronavirus.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs that leverage American’s agricultural abundance to ensure children and low-income individuals and families have nutritious food to eat. FNS also co-develops the  Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provide science-based nutrition recommendations and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

WASHINGTON, DC, March 10, 2020 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced proactive flexibilities to allow meal service during school closures to minimize potential exposure to the coronavirus. You may click HERE or on the image below to watch Secretary Perdue discuss the proactive flexibilities during today’s House Appropriations hearing.

Secretary Perdue discusses the proactive flexibilities during today’s House Appropriations hearing

Background:

During an unexpected school closure, schools can leverage their participation in one of USDA’s summer meal programs to provide meals at no cost to students. Under normal circumstances, those meals must be served in a group setting. However, in a public health emergency, the law allows USDA the authority to waive the group setting meal requirement, which is vital during a social distancing situation.

As always, states may request waivers of other Program requirements, as needed, and those will be considered on a case-by-case basis. States may submit waiver requests immediately by providing their FNS Regional Office with the required waiver information. Information on how to submit a waiver request is available at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/child-nutrition-program-waiver-request-guidance-and-protocol-revised. The Regional Offices are also available to provide technical assistance on development of waiver requests.

Today’s announcement is effective immediately and will cover efforts triggered by school closings through June 30, 2020. USDA stands ready to provide additional assistance to areas impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) as part of the much larger government-wide response, in accordance with the law.

All Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) programs – including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs – have flexibilities and contingencies built-in to allow them to respond to on-the-ground realities in the event of a disaster or emergency situation. For more information on FNS programs, please visit: https://www.fns.usda.gov/disaster/pandemic. For more information about the coronavirus response across USDA, please visit: www.usda.gov/coronavirus.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs that leverage America’s agricultural abundance to ensure children and low-income individuals and families have nutritious food to eat. FNS also co-develops the Dietary Guidelines for Americans with HHS’ Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP). The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide science-based nutrition recommendations and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy.

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Washington, DC, March 10, 2020 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue attended the School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) 48th Annual Legislative Action Conference yesterday where he participated in a fireside chat with SNA President Gay Anderson and SNA CEO Patricia Montague. The Secretary discussed USDA’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) as it relates to school meal programs and all of the positive changes USDA has made when it comes to providing greater flexibility in nutrition requirements for school meal programs in order to make food choices both healthful and appealing to students.

You may click HERE or on the image above to watch the Secretary’s fireside chat.

Background:

Today, Secretary Perdue announced proactive flexibilities to allow meal service during school closures to minimize potential exposure to the coronavirus. You may click HERE to watch Secretary Perdue discuss the proactive flexibilities during today’s House Appropriations hearing. During an unexpected school closure, schools can leverage their participation in one of USDA’s summer meal programs to provide meals at no cost to students. Under normal circumstances, those meals must be served in a group setting. However, in a public health emergency, the law allows USDA the authority to waive the group setting meal requirement, which is vital during a social distancing situation.

In December 2018, Secretary Perdue empowered local schools with additional options to serve healthy and appealing meals. A final rule on school meal flexibilities, increased local flexibility in implementing school nutrition standards for milk, whole grains, and sodium. Secretary Perdue said the final rule will deliver on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) promise to develop forward-thinking strategies that ensure school nutrition standards are both healthful and practical. The actions benefit nearly 99,000 schools and institutions that feed 30 million children annually through USDA’s school meal programs. The rule:

• Provides the option to offer flavored, low-fat milk to children participating in school meal programs, and to participants ages six and older in the Special Milk Program for Children (SMP) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP);
• Requires half of the weekly grains in the school lunch and breakfast menu be whole grain-rich; and
• Provides more time to reduce sodium levels in school meals.

Delivering on his promise to act on feedback from dietary professionals, Secretary Perdue announced two proposals in January 2020 that put local school and summer food service operators back in the driver’s seat of their programs, because they know their children best. The first proposed rule continues to ensure children receive wholesome, tasty meals that provide the nutrition they need to grow and thrive, while offering increased flexibilities for local school districts to serve children food they will want to eat, by:

• Allowing local schools to offer more vegetable varieties, while keeping plenty of veggies in each meal;
• Making it easier for schools to offer school lunch entrees for a la carte purchase, thereby reducing food waste;
• Providing schools options to customize meal patterns to best serve children in different grades or smaller schools who eat together;
• Supporting a more customized school breakfast environment by letting schools adjust fruit servings and making it simpler to offer meats/meat alternates, ultimately encouraging breakfast options outside the cafeteria so students can start their day with a healthy breakfast; and
• Shifting to a performance-focused administrative review process that is less burdensome and time consuming, which would increase collaboration with operators to improve program integrity.

The second proposed rule makes customer-focused reforms to the Summer Food Service Program, which serves more than 2.6 million children during the summer months, when they are at higher risk of food insecurity and poor nutrition because they do not have access to school meals. The summer feeding rule offers operators more local control to better serve children by:

• Providing more flexibilities in choosing meal offerings, meal service times, and allowing children to take certain nonperishable food items offsite;
• Granting tested and proven flexibilities that make it easier for sponsors and sites to participate by reducing paperwork and streamlining the application process for high-performing, experienced operators;
• Balancing program integrity and flexibility with stronger monitoring to help sponsors maximize their resources; and
• Clarifying performance standards and eligibility requirements for sites.

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