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Resource | Policy Modifying the FNS Instruction 113-1: Civil Rights Compliance and Enforcement - Nutrition Programs and Activities

This memorandum seeks to ensure that current Food and Nutrition Service guidance pertaining to federal civil rights and nondiscrimination obligations remains aligned with applicable laws, regulations, executive orders and directives relevant to the agency’s 16 nutrition assistance programs.

03/03/2026
Resource | Forms Federal-State Agreement Child Nutrition and Food Distribution Programs

This agreement sets out the requirements for administering the child nutrition programs and the food distribution programs.

07/14/2022
Resource | Guidance Documents FNS Instruction 782-13: Guidelines for Policy Statement When Serving Meals or Milk Without Separate Charge

All school food authorities participating in the National School Lunch, Commodity School, School Breakfast, and Special Milk Programs must submit a free and reduced price policy statement pursuant to 7 CFR Part 245.

07/16/2020
Resource | Research and Data | Report to Congress Child Nutrition Reporting Burden Analysis Study

The Child Nutrition Reporting Burden Analysis Study was commissioned by FNA 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.

07/02/2019
Resource | Policy Reducing School Meal Certification Error through Improved Online Application Design

This memorandum provides guidance to states, local operators, and their software vendors on strategies for leveraging the design flexibilities of online free and reduced price school meal applications to reduce household reporting mistakes and certification errors.

03/05/2018
Resource | Guidance Documents Revised SY16-17 SFA-3 Administrative Review Form for FNS-640 Reporting

This memorandum provides the SY 2016-2017 SFA-3 with revised instructions that provide additional information and clarifications to the previously released form’s instructions. The revised instructions will assist with the completion of the FNS-640 report that is due on March 1, 2018.

09/12/2017
Resource | Guidance Documents Accommodating Disabilities in the School Meal Programs: Guidance and Q&As

This question and answer memorandum is designed to provide practical guidance related to accommodating disabilities in the school meal programs, which are the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, the Special Milk Program, and the NSLP Afterschool Snacks Program.

04/25/2017
Resource | Research and Data | Assessing/Improving Operations School Nutrition Program Operations Study - SY 2012-13

The information in this second year report (school year 2012-13), the first year new lunch standards were implemented, will provide data for observing the improvements resulting from the implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Data was collected from a survey of all state child nutrition directors and a nationally representative sample of school food authorities.

10/31/2016
Resource | Guidance Documents Meaningful Access for Persons with Limited English Proficiency in the School Meal Programs: Guidance and Q&As

This memorandum consolidates and supersedes previous LEP guidance and incorporates previously released USDA and FNA guidance. FNA is issuing this guidance in a Q&A format to provide responses to questions that FNA has received regarding communications with LEP individuals.

05/25/2016
Resource | Guidance Documents Reporting Instructions for Form FNS-874: Local Educational Agency Second Review of Applications

Section 304 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requires local educational agencies that demonstrate high levels of, or a high risk for administrative error associated with certification, verification and other administrative processes to conduct an independent review of the initial eligibility determinations for free and reduced price school meal applications for accuracy prior to notifying households of eligibility. 

03/09/2016
Page updated: June 02, 2026