FNS Documents & Resources

This guidance serves as a general reminder to state agencies about the importance of complying with the Buy American provisions that are found in the regulations of the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.

We continue to receive questions regarding procurements in the child nutrition programs, particularly in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Attached are the most recently received questions and answers.

It has come to our attention that a number of state agencies and school food authorities are failing to maintain appropriate records for procurement transactions occurring in connection with the child nutrition programs.

This guidance was issued upon our learning that a number of school food authorities were not drafting their own specifications and procurement documents for certain software acquisitions but instead directly incorporating a list of features written by a prospective bidder.

We are continuing to receive questions regarding procurements in the child nutrition programs, particularly in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Attached are the most recently received questions and answers.

We have recently received a series of questions regarding the procurement of automated meal accountability systems in conjunction with the procurement of a food service management company.

Periodically, we receive questions concerning the procurement requirements of 7 CFR Parts 3016 and 3019 and certain procurement procedures used by public and nonprofit school food authorities. Attached are a number of these recent questions and their corresponding answers.

FNS published the subject interim regulation, and established the effective date as Dec. 15, 1999, because the customary effective date for regulations is 30 days after publication and given the health and reimbursement implications, we wished to implement the regulation as soon as possible.

This Instruction sets forth the criteria to be used to determine acceptable grains/breads, the criteria to be used to determine equivalent minimum serving sizes, and examples of foods that qualify as grains/breads for meals served under the food-based menu planning alternatives in all child nutrition programs