Pursuant to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, and based on the exceptional circumstances of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency, FNS issued three nationwide waivers to support access to nutritious meals while minimizing potential exposure to the novel coronavirus.
This memorandum provides clarification on nationwide waivers related available to all states, school food authorities and sponsoring organizations providing monitoring flexibilities in child nutrition programs during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency.
On March 9, 2020, FNS began approving waivers enabling SFSP and NSLP SSO sponsors to serve meals in a non-congregate setting and at school sites during school closures related to the coronavirus.
This memorandum clarifies juice and yogurt allowances based on the child care and preschool meal pattern updates and incorporates the meal pattern flexibilities related to flavored milk. The flavored milk flexibilities apply to the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Special Milk Program for Children effective beginning in school year 2019-2020.
Attached are Q&As on the final rule Child Nutrition Programs: Flexibilities for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium Requirements (83 FR 63775, Dec. 12, 2018), which provides menu planning flexibilities in the child nutrition programs beginning July 1, 2019.
This memorandum rescinds and replaces SP 22-2019, CACFP 09-2019, SFSP 08-2019 Crediting Coconut, Hominy, Corn Masa, and Corn Flour in the Child Nutrition Programs. This updated memorandum provides guidance on crediting coconut (including dried coconut), hominy, corn masa, and masa harina and clarifies how to identify popular products made from corn that can credit towards the grain requirements in the child nutrition programs, including the NSLP, SBP, CACFP and SFSP.
FNS is continuing the 2018 demonstration project allowing non-congregate feeding at certain outdoor summer meal sites experiencing excessive heat for summer 2019, to develop and test alternative methods of providing access to summer meals for low-income children.
SFSP is administered at the federal level by FNS. FNS decides overall program policy and publishes regulations and payment rates.
School meals are required to meet specific nutrition standards to operate the school meals programs. The standards align school meals with the latest nutrition science and the real world circumstances of America’s schools.
This memorandum provides guidance to states, local operators, and their software vendors on strategies for leveraging the design flexibilities of online free and reduced price school meal applications to reduce household reporting mistakes and certification errors.