Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins writes 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.

This memorandum provides information and guidance related to implementing the updated fluid milk options available to operators of the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Food Program, and the Special Milk Program for Children.

This final rule with comment period expands fluid milk options by allowing schools and child and adult care providers participating in child nutrition programs to offer whole and reduced-fat milk to participants two years and older.

As part of Secretary Rollins’ commitment to support American beef and create healthy outcomes for American children, the Farm to School Program is committed to working with CNP operators to help them source and serve local in program meals.

In this program guidance, Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke L. Rollins, strongly encourages child nutrition program operators to familiarize themselves with the key recommendations and consider how the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 can be incorporated into program meals and snacks to promote healthy outcomes and healthy families.

In alignment with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ priorities to encourage healthy choices, healthy outcomes, and healthy families and connect America’s farmers to nutrition assistance programs, we are revising the CSFP Maximum Monthly Distribution Rates to reflect the foods currently available in the program.

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.

This notice announces the surplus and purchased foods that the Department expects to make available for donation to states for use in providing nutrition assistance to the needy under The Emergency Food Assistance Program in fiscal year 2025.

On April 25, 2024, FNS published the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that included minor updates to CACFP and SFSP to better align child nutrition program requirements. These updates represent continued progress toward supporting the nutritional quality of school meals, strengthening the CNPs, and advancing USDA’s commitment to nutrition security. 

This memorandum provides updated guidance on feeding infants and the infant meal pattern requirements.