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Resource | Research and Data Child Nutrition Program Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic - July 2021 through September 2022

This data collection fulfills states' reporting requirements and describes trends in program participation during the COVID-19 pandemic from July 2021 through September 2022. It is part of an ongoing study series examining child nutrition program operations, repurposed to collect waiver usage and trends in program participation and operations during the pandemic.

03/18/2025
Resource | Training and Outreach The Impact of Evidence-Based Policy: SUN Bucks

Evidence makes government work better. Done well, rigorous evaluation provides the evidence needed to drive smarter decisions about where to invest resources and how to design and run programs more effectively, like the Summer EBT for Children Program (SUN Bucks).

10/31/2024
Resource | Policy Nutrition Requirements for Fluid Milk and Substitutions in the CACFP, Questions and Answers

This memorandum details the nutrition requirements for fluid milk and fluid milk substitutes in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and includes a series of frequently asked questions and answers. This memorandum supersedes CACFP 17-2016, Nutrition Requirements for Fluid Milk and Fluid Milk Substitutions in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, Questions and Answers, July 14, 2016. 

10/28/2024
Resource | Policy Offer Versus Serve and Family Style Meals in CACFP

The purpose of this memorandum is to outline the use of Offer Versus Serve in the adult day care and at-risk afterschool settings, as well as the use of family style meals in the Child and Adult Care Food Program. 

10/28/2024
Resource | Policy Proposed Rule Withdrawal - Disaster SNAP

This document informs the public that FNS is withdrawing the proposed rule titled Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that published in the Federal Register on May 10, 2016.

09/27/2024
Resource | Research and Data | Impacts/Evaluations Evaluation of Child Support Enforcement Cooperation Requirements in SNAP

This report responds to a Congressional mandate in the 2018 Farm Bill for FNS to conduct an evaluation of child support cooperation requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Child support cooperation requirements refer to a set of policies that mandate households receiving certain public benefits cooperate with their state’s child support program as a condition of benefit receipt.

06/06/2024
Resource | Policy Initial Implementation Memorandum: Child Nutrition Programs - Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 DGAs

On April 25, 2024, FNS published the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This rule includes minor updates to the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program to better align Child Nutrition Program requirements. These updates represent continued progress toward supporting the nutrition quality of school meals, strengthening the Child Nutrition Programs, and advancing USDA’s commitment to nutrition security. 

05/14/2024
Resource | Research and Data | Assessing/Improving Operations CN Program Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic, July 2020 - Dec. 2021

This data collection fulfills states’ reporting requirements and describes trends in program participation during the COVID-19 pandemic from July 2020 through Dec. 2021. It is part of an ongoing study series examining CN program operations, repurposed to collect waiver reports from all states. A previous report in the series detailed waiver usage and trends in program participation and operations from March through Sept. 2020.

04/30/2024
Resource | Federal Register Notices Final Rule - Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 DGAs

This rulemaking finalizes long-term school nutrition requirements based on the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, robust stakeholder input, and lessons learned from prior rulemakings.

04/25/2024
Resource | Infographics Healthy Eating Index Score of the FDPIR Food Package Infographic

Healthy Eating Index scores range from 0 to 100 and are a measure of diet quality used to assess how well a set of foods aligns with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A higher score is ideal. The FDPIR Food Package scores an 84. This is higher than the average U.S. diet, which scores a 59.

03/21/2024
Page updated: October 14, 2021