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.
The purpose of this memorandum is to remind schools, sponsors, and institutions participating in any USDA Child Nutrition Program, including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Special Milk Program for Children , Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, and the Seamless Summer Option , of the many ways they can purchase local foods to serve in program meals.
Geographic Preference Option Questions and Answers
This memorandum provides a detailed explanation of the expanded geographic preference option.
This general USDA Foods guidance explains that the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service will discontinue the requirement for vendors to use high security seals to secure USDA Foods deliveries as of July 1, 2023.
This memorandum provides guidance to state distributing agencies and recipient agencies on the use of market basket analysis in procuring processed end products for USDA Foods in Schools and commercial goods for the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program.
The purpose of this audit guidance policy memorandum is to clarify the options available to state distributing agencies or recipient agencies in assigning value to USDA donated foods for audit purposes.
This memorandum provides general guidance on the various procurement groups FNS has identified, how to use each group in a way that complies with federal procurement standards, and supersedes SP 35-2012, Procuring Services of Purchasing Cooperatives, Group Purchasing Organizations, Group Buying Organizations, etc., dated June 12, 2012.
Recent communications between FNS and state agency program staff during procurement trainings and management evaluations conducted in fiscal year 2014-2015 indicated a need for guidance on competitive procurement standards. This page lists where to find the standards.
Program integrity is essential in all aspects of program administration and state agencies contribute to this by overseeing program operations. To this end, this memorandum provides guidance on state agency oversight of program operator procurement procedures while FNS is currently developing a Local Agency Procurement Review Tool to aid state agencies.