Frequently asked questions and answers for suppliers and manufacturers publishing data for the Child Nutrition Database.
This notice announces the Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals, free milk, and Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer benefits for the period from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
Updated School Meal Standards: working towards a common goal of healthy children and helping them reach their full potential.
School meals will continue to include fruits and vegetables, emphasize whole grains, and give kids the right balance of nutrients for healthy, tasty meals. For the first time, schools will focus on products with less added sugar, especially in school breakfast.
School nutrition professionals continue to make school meals the healthiest meals children eat in a day! To take school meals to the next level, USDA is updating the school nutrition standards after considering recommendations from the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans and listening to a diverse range of voices with experience in child nutrition and health.
USDA Foods in Schools product information sheets with description and WBSCM ID for vegetables.
USDA Foods product information sheets containing USDA Foods description and WBSCM ID for fruits.
This information is provided to assist state agencies, school food authorities, and local schools with the selection of a software program that has been USDA-approved for nutrient analyses required in the school meal programs.
USDA Foods in Schools Foods product information sheets containing USDA Foods description and WBSCM ID for meat/meat alternates.
The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act initially provided an additional 6-cents per lunch reimbursement to school food authorities that were certified to be in compliance with the new meal patterns. The increased reimbursement, a significant investment in improving the quality of school meals, became available starting Oct.1, 2012. School food authorities that continue to maintain compliance with meal requirements continue to receive this performance based funding which is adjusted annually if needed. The current performance based reimbursement rate is 9-cents per reimbursable lunch.