This action implements statutory requirements and policy improvements to strengthen administrative oversight and operational performance of the Child Nutrition Programs.
This is a new information collection for WIC and WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program which contains the reporting burden associated with requesting waivers authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the American Baby Formula Act of 2022.
Attached to this memorandum, please find a revised edition of the Prototype Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals, with an accompanying instructions document. These materials may be adapted for direct use by state and local agencies, or as a reference for designing an effective application packet that meets all statutory and regulatory requirements.
The purpose of this new collection is to collect qualitative and quantitative stakeholder feedback through meetings, focus groups, interviews, other stakeholder interactions and surveys, as well as requests for administrative data, as part of the planning process for FNS regulatory actions, the semi-annual regulatory agenda, research studies, outreach, training and the development of guidance.
This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection for determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk as stated in FNS regulations.
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance regarding onsite and offsite strategies and options for oversight and monitoring of the school meal programs.
In April 2022, federal agencies transitioned from use of the DUNS number to the Unique Entity Identifier. Child Nutrition Program Operators are required to have the UEI to receive payments from state agencies who administer the child nutrition programs on behalf of the federal government. This memorandum provides answers to questions related to the transition.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provided USDA with $390 million, available through FY 2024, to carry out outreach, innovation, and program modernization efforts to increase participation and redemption of benefits for both the WIC program and the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program.
FNS issued regulation that prescribe the methods for making payments of funds to state agencies to use for administrative expenses incurred in overseeing and providing technical assistance in connection with activities undertaken under the NSLP, the SMP, the SBP, the CACFP, and the FDP. For this revision, FNS has revised the FNS-525 form to eliminate data fields which collect data that can be obtained from the FNS financial data systems.
FNS recognizes that many state agencies may benefit from guidance regarding the existing flexibilities allowable within current FMNP and SFMNP regulations and has compiled some of these flexibilities for state and local agencies to consider.