We regularly collect information about the school meal programs and how they operate from the people who know best – the state agencies that oversee the programs in each state and territory and the school food authorities that manage the programs locally in one or more schools.
Under the leadership of Secretary Brooke Rollins, USDA is prioritizing the clarification of statutory, regulatory, and administrative requirements of the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.
This data collection fulfills states' reporting requirements and describes trends in program participation during the COVID-19 pandemic from July 2021 through September 2022. It is part of an ongoing study series examining child nutrition program operations, repurposed to collect waiver usage and trends in program participation and operations during the pandemic.
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.
Back to school means back to tasty, healthy meals served to nearly 30 million children every school day.
This tip sheet was designed for school foodservice professionals to provide an overview of Offer versus Serve guidance for breakfast meal service.
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance for state agencies and program operators on the status of nationwide waivers of statutory and regulatory requirements in the Summer Food Service Program.
Featured here is USDA’s Web-Based Prototype Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals, along with accompanying guidance materials and resources.
Offer versus Serve is a provision in the NSLP and School Breakfast Program that allows students to decline some of the food offered. The goals of OVS are to reduce food waste in the school meals programs while permitting students to decline foods they do not intend to eat.