FNS Documents & Resources

School food authorities (SFAs) participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs are required to verify income for a small percentage of households approved for free or reduced price meals each school year. However, getting households to respond to verification requests can be challenging for SFA staff. If households do not respond, they lose their benefits regardless of their actual eligibility.

Attached is updated clarifying guidance for state agencies regarding the 60-day claim submission and 90-day reporting requirements for child nutrition programs which was released on April 25, 2018. This latest version includes edits to align with changes made in the SFSP Simplified Cost Accounting Final Rule published on June 1, 2018.

This document provides an overview of basic food safety enforcement terminology used by FSIS that may impact school distributing agencies, school food authorities, and processors of USDA-regulated foods, including meat, poultry, and egg products.

Infographic for food safety in schools.

This resource provides a checklist of the communication responsibilities related to recalls of USDA Foods before, during and after a recall.

An interim final rule published on Nov. 30, 2017 provides child nutrition program operators targeted flexibilities for milk, whole grains, and sodium requirements for school year 2018-2019. This memorandum summarizes the flexibilities that will be effective July 1, 2018.

This memorandum revises the current USDA Food and Nutrition Service process for state agencies and eligible service providers seeking a waiver of statutory or regulatory program requirements for the child nutrition programs, including the CACFP, the SFSP, the NSLP, the FFVP, the SMP, and the SBP. 

Through this memorandum, pursuant to the authority of  the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Act 2010, FNS is continuing the 2017 demonstration project allowing non-congregate feeding at certain outdoor summer meal sites experiencing excessive heat for summer 2018, to develop and test alternative methods of providing access to summer meals for low income children. 

This memorandum provides information regarding the updated School Meal Programs Administrative Review Manual for School Year 2018-2019. In previous years, all AR materials have been updated annually. This school year updates to the AR process were only made in areas regarding the Fiscal Action process and Resource Management.

Through the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2018, Congress provides that only school food authorities  that had a negative balance in the nonprofit school food service account as of Jan. 31, 2018, shall be required to establish prices for paid lunches according to the Paid Lunch Equity provisions in  the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, and implemented in National School Lunch Program regulations.