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.
USDA has rescinded the Biden Administration’s May 2022 Bostock policy update that sought to require federally-funded food and nutrition service programs to redefine discrimination by reason of “sex” under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) and the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 as not based on just male or female, but also “gender identity.” Today’s guidance eliminates the illegal threats issued under the Biden Administration that mandated compliance with ever-evolving concepts of gender ideology as a condition for participation in USDA school programs.
This final rule revises regulations for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and USDA Foods disaster response regulations. This final rule makes improvements in USDA’s food distribution programs.
This guidance is intended to assist state agencies and program operators of the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program in meeting the longstanding federal requirement to collect race and ethnicity data of program participants.
The purpose of this memorandum is to clarify the written notice and referral requirements for organizations that receive USDA Foods or administrative funding as part of CSFP and TEFAP program guidance, per USDA regulations on equal opportunity for religious organizations to participate in USDA assistance programs.
USDA and eight other federal agencies recently published a final rule entitled, Partnerships With Faith-Based and Neighborhood Organizations at 89 FR 15671 (final rule). The final rule amended USDA regulations at 7 CFR part 16 related to equal opportunity for faith-based organizations that operate USDA programs and religious protections for USDA program beneficiaries.
CACFP is a food program that helps emergency shelters serve healthy meals to children and young people experiencing homelessness. CACFP meals help ensure equitable access to nutritious food for better health.
This USDA Foods in disasters guidance manual contains important information for persons in FNS headquarters, FNS regional offices, and distributing agencies, which include state distributing agencies and Indian Tribal Organizations that are charged with the responsibility of providing USDA Foods to disaster relief organizations in the event of a disaster, emergency, or situation of distress.