FNS Documents & Resources

Local educational agencies participating in the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program are required to develop a local school wellness policy that promotes the health of students and addresses the problem of childhood obesity.

This competitive cooperative agreement solicits applications for a national-level surveillance system that will address the most important gaps in the coverage of the existing government-funded national school wellness policy surveillance systems.

The Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program allows schools to use their USDA Foods entitlement dollars to buy fresh produce. The program, operated by DoD’s Defense Logistics Agency, began in SY 1994-95 as a pilot in eight states. As of 2013, schools in 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam participate; schools are anticipated to receive more than $100 million worth of produce through the program during SY 2012-13.

The Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs final rule was published on Jan. 26, 2012. The final rule requires that fruits and vegetables be offered as separate meal components in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs.

Attached are the Revised Meat/Meat Alternates and Milk charts of the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.

This memorandum is to provide guidance on the verification process and reporting for categorically eligible foster children

This memorandum provides information on the new requirements for local wellness policies so that local educational agencies can begin reviewing their policies for the coming school year 2011-12, and begin moving forward on implementing the new requirements.

Promoting Fruits and Vegetables in Schools: Wellness Policy Opportunities

This supersedes the Jan. 7, 2010, version of the policy memo, Exclusion of Military Combat Pay. In addition to combat pay and other income received by deployed service members, this memorandum addresses Deployment Extension Incentive Pay.

This is a reminder of the statutory and regulatory requirements for categorical eligibility for the Child Nutrition Programs based on receipt of benefits from each state’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act restricts categorical eligibility to those TANF programs with standards that are comparable to or more restrictive than those in effect on June 1, 1995.