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Resource | Policy CSFP: Announcement of Update to the Food Package Maximum Monthly Distribution Rates, Effective Sept. 1, 2025

In alignment with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ priorities to encourage healthy choices, healthy outcomes, and healthy families and connect America’s farmers to nutrition assistance programs, we are revising the CSFP Maximum Monthly Distribution Rates to reflect the foods currently available in the program.

08/11/2025
Resource | Policy Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025: Effect on Child Nutrition Programs

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.

05/14/2025
Resource | Training and Outreach Industry Guide to Publishing K-12 Product Data to USDA Databases

This webinar introduces and describes the purposes of the two USDA databases available for K-12 product manufacturers to publish their product data: Child Nutrition Database and the USDA Foods Database.

03/26/2025
Resource | Policy Instructions for Reporting State Administrative Funds for Implementing the New Meal Patterns

To assist state agencies and FNS to better monitor the use of Section 201 funds, as mentioned in our August 15, 2014 memorandum SP60-2014 (Second Extension of Grant Period for State Administrative Funds to Implement New Meal Pattern Requirements), FNS has changed the frequency of financial reporting from annual reporting to quarterly reporting beginning with the fiscal year (FY) 2015.

09/16/2014
Resource | Policy Smart Snacks Standards for Exempt Foods when Paired Together

The purpose of this memo is to clarify Smart Snacks standards for exempt foods that are paired together as a single snack.

09/11/2014
Resource | Policy State Agency Fundraiser Elections and Exemptions

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 directed the Department of Agriculture to establish nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold to students on the school campus during the school day, including foods sold through school fundraisers.

08/12/2014
Resource | Technical Assistance Enriching School Meals with Whole-Grain USDA Foods

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. 

07/09/2014
Resource | Policy Transition of Foods and Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value to Smart Snacks in School Standards

This memorandum is to inform you that all foods of minimal nutritional value exemptions will end on June 30, 2014. Therefore, the attached list, Exemptions Under the Competitive Foods Regulation will become obsolete on July 1, 2014. Beginning July, 1, 2014, the interim final rule for Smart Snacks in School will go into effect for school year 2014-15. Therefore, any competitive foods and beverages must meet the nutrition standards specified in the interim final rule.

06/30/2014
Resource | Policy Smart Snacks Nutrition Standards and Culinary Education Programs

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance regarding the treatment of culinary education programs that operate in schools participating in the federal school meal programs.

04/22/2014
Resource | Policy Smart Snacks Nutrition Standards and Exempt Fundraisers

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance regarding state agency responsibilities to establish limitations on the frequency of specially exempted fundraisers in schools.

04/17/2014
Page updated: October 14, 2021