Due to a technical problem with the docket that prevented comments from being accepted during part of the initial comment period, we are reopening the comment period for the interim final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on June 6, 2025. The rule rescinds an unnecessary reporting requirement for the school meals application verification process.
This notice sets forth the interpretation that the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses for the term “Federal public benefit” as used in Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. In doing so, this notice supersedes any prior interpretation in any notice or other document issued by any USDA agency. This notice also describes and preliminarily identifies the USDA programs that provide “Federal public benefits” within the scope of PRWORA.
The Team Nutrition school breakfast poster is designed for school nutrition programs to display daily breakfast menu options and remind students to eat a variety of foods while building a reimbursable meal.
Factsheet with key information about the SUN 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 Child Nutrition Database is a required part of the nutrient analysis software approved by USDA for use in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.
Meal pattern calculations for short and long weeks. This applies to schools who regularly operate on a shorter or longer weekly cycle.
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.
On April 25, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The 2024 final rule included an optional provision that continues to allow the substitution of vegetables for fruits at breakfast and provides schools with greater menu planning flexibility at breakfast as compared to the previous regulations. This memorandum provides updated guidance on the substitution of vegetables for fruits in the School Breakfast Program.
On April 25, 2024, FNS published the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The rule finalized practical, science-based, long-term school nutrition requirements based on the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, extensive partner input, and lessons learned from prior rulemakings. This memorandum updates and clarifies current guidance for fluid milk requirements in school meal programs following publication of the 2024 final rule.