FNS Documents & Resources

On April 25, 2024, FNS published the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This rule includes minor updates to the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program to better align Child Nutrition Program requirements. These updates represent continued progress toward supporting the nutrition quality of school meals, strengthening the Child Nutrition Programs, and advancing USDA’s commitment to nutrition security. 

This rulemaking finalizes long-term school nutrition requirements based on the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, robust stakeholder input, and lessons learned from prior rulemakings.

These resources provide school nutrition professionals with the knowledge and tools to implement and meet the professional standards requirements within their programs.

Los estándares profesionales son una norma que determina los requisitos anuales de capacitación y criterios de contratación para profesionales en los programas de nutrición escolar. Estas normas brindan estándares profesionales consistentes a nivel nacional y fortalecen la capacidad de los profesionales de la nutrición escolar para desempeñar sus funciones de manera eficaz y eficiente.

La guía de estándares profesionales para programas de nutrición escolar es el recurso principal que describe los requisitos de los estándares profesionales del USDA para los profesionales de la nutrición escolar a nivel estatal y local.

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. 

The Professional Standards Summary of Updates flyer provides an overview of the professional standards requirements which consist of hiring standards and annual training requirements for state directors of school nutrition programs, state director of distributing agencies, school nutrition program directors, managers, and staff.

El boletín de resumen de las actualizaciones de los estándares profesionales proporciona un informe acerca de los requisitos de los estándares profesionales e incluye los criterios de contratación y los requisitos de capacitación anual para directores estatales de programas de nutrición escolar, directores estatales de agencias distribuidoras, directores de programas de nutrición escolar, gerentes y personal.

This report responds to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which directs the FNS to provide a report on the amount of added sugars in school meals.

A central resource outlining the USDA Professional Standards requirements for state and local school nutrition professionals.