FNS Documents & Resources

Adherence to scientific integrity and ensuring that the Agency shares accurate, reliable, and comprehensive information with the public is foundational to FNS. As such, this document outlines the clearance process FNS uses to release its scientific products, such as studies, analyses, evaluations, and journal articles.

As required under the Office of Management and Budget's "Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review," FNS reviews its study and evaluation plans to determine whether any projects currently planned or underway meet the Bulletin's standards for "highly influential scientific assessments" or "influential scientific information."

FNS conducts a variety of studies, evaluations, and related activities that respond to the needs of policy makers and managers and help ensure that nutrition assistance programs achieve their goals effectively. These plans provide short descriptions of projects that have been or will be funded in each fiscal year.

​The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted school meal operations and has contributed to lasting supply chain issues affecting the cost and availability of food and labor. The School Food Authority Survey II on Supply Chain Disruption and Student Participation was administered to all SFAs operating child nutrition programs in schools to gather information on the impacts of continued supply chain disruptions and the return to standard operations during SY 2022–23.

List of FNS completed peer review plans and reports. 

The School Food Authority Survey on Supply Chain Disruptions was administered by FNS from November 8th through December 13th through a 20-minute online questionnaire. The survey was sent to all SFAs operating child nutrition programs to gather information on the scope of the supply chain disruptions and school meal operations during school year 2021-22.

The Summer Meals Study provides a comprehensive, nationally representative assessment of the two summer meal programs operated by USDA: the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option. It is the first national study to simultaneously examine the facilitators and barriers to program participation among participating and nonparticipating families, sponsors, and sites. This study examines the characteristics of participating and nonparticipating children, including sociodemographic characteristics, household food security status, reasons for participation or nonparticipation, and satisfaction with the meals served to children in the summer of 2018. 

Supporting files for 2019 Farm to School Census data collection information.

The Child Nutrition Reporting Burden Analysis Study was commissioned by FNS in response to a legislative requirement of House Report 114-531. The study examined challenges faced by SAs and SFAs related to child nutrition program administrative and reporting requirements and identifying those that contribute most to the workload for SAs and SFAs that operate CN programs.