This factsheet explains how USDA Foods support the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the school meal pattern requirements to make it easier for schools to prepare healthy meals using local foods.
This webinar provided state agencies and school districts instructions on how to navigate the USDA Foods Database to access vendor-specific product information, including nutrients, allergens, ingredients and certifications.
Each year we ask child nutrition professionals to inspire other foodservice professionals and submit a picture of your most creative meal utilizing USDA Foods. With more than 200 USDA Foods items available, we want to highlight each food group and the innovative ways in which they can be used.
Check out the winners of the 2020 Serve Up USDA Foods Photo Contest.
Thank you to everyone who submitted a photo for the 2017 Show Us Your Tray Photo Contest! We received hundreds of submissions from schools throughout the United States, and USDA staff assessed each entry for use of USDA Foods, creativity, and overall photo quality. We enjoyed viewing the many worthy and inspiring photos, and narrowing them down to one winner was a difficult task!
This rule revises and clarifies requirements for the processing of donated foods in order to: Incorporate successful processing options tested in demonstration projects into the regulations, ensure accountability for donated foods provided for processing, increase program efficiency and integrity, and support vendor and state operability.
We received hundreds of submissions from schools throughout the United States, and USDA staff assessed each entry for use of USDA Foods, creativity, and overall photo quality. We enjoyed viewing the many worthy and inspiring photos, and narrowing them down to one winner was a difficult task!
USDA offers a variety of user- and kid-friendly whole grain-rich foods. We continually review and work to improve our whole-grain products to ensure they help school nutrition programs meet the updated meal requirements, perform well, and are acceptable to children.
This memorandum clarifies how school food authorities may use funds provided under Sections 4 and 11 or 19 of the National School Lunch Act to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program vendors.