On April 25, 2024, FNS published the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. While most provisions in the 2024 final rule focus on the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, this rule also includes limited updates to the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program to better align child nutrition programs requirements. These updates represent continued progress toward supporting the nutritional quality of meals offered through the CNPs and meeting cultural food preferences of program participants.
This guide informs small entities participating in child nutrition programs about the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and how to comply with it. This guide does not include any new requirements; it just summarizes existing guidance related to the final rule.
Produce Safety Hack videos are short and designed to help food service operators keep produce safe and at a high quality. They cover a range of topics.
Schools that have access to local, fresh produce and who wish to take advantage of low prices during abundant supply and peak nutrition may want to consider vacuum sealing in-house processed and frozen fruits and vegetables.
A resource on preserving locally harvested produce in school meals includes information about facility and personnel considerations and product flow and handling.
Information about fresh-cut produce operations and food safety practices including: background information, definitions, steps and questions to ask during a fresh-cut operation visit and specific food safety discussion topics.
Learn how to properly store produce in a walk-in refrigerator.
This webpage is intended for summer meals providers, and others who may provide food safety training or technical assistance for summer meals operations.
This video is intended to provide information about Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles, and related food safety best practices for summer meals served by schools and other retail foodservice operations, including in non-congregate settings.