This memorandum provides notice to child nutrition program operators regarding the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (the 2025 Appropriations Act), March 15, 2025. This applies to state agencies administering, and local organizations operating, the USDA FNS child nutrition programs.
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.
On April 25, 2024, FNS published the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that included minor updates to CACFP and SFSP to better align child nutrition program requirements. These updates represent continued progress toward supporting the nutritional quality of school meals, strengthening the CNPs, and advancing USDA’s commitment to nutrition security.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service requests comments from the public to obtain input to help inform future policymaking, guidance, and technical assistance related to grain-based desserts and high-protein yogurt crediting in child nutrition programs.
Healthy school meals are a critical part of the school environment – like teachers, classrooms, books, and computers – and set kids up for success. These resources can help school breakfast program operators plan nutritious meals that can help improve a child’s health, growth, development, and educational outcomes.
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide state agencies and program operators of the child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Summer Food Service Program, with additional information and clarification on the state agency monitoring process regarding the: 1) Child nutrition label, 2) watermarked CN label, and 3) manufacturer’s Product Formulation Statement.
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.
El Recurso de granos integrales para el Programa Nacional de Almuerzo Escolar y el Programa de Desayuno Escolar es una guía comprensiva para determinar si un producto de grano es rico en grano integral o si es acreditable como enriquecido en las comidas escolares.
Millions of children participate in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) every day – but millions more children are still missing out! These resources can help program operators discover ideas to increase participation in school breakfast programs and help administrators, teachers, students, and families learn about the benefits of participating in the SBP.
This training series is designed to assist school food authorities, state agencies, and others in implementing the updated nutrition standards for school meals.
