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Resource | Guidance Documents Child Nutrition Programs’ Flexibilities for SY 2018-19

An interim final rule published on Nov. 30, 2017 provides child nutrition program operators targeted flexibilities for milk, whole grains, and sodium requirements for school year 2018-2019. This memorandum summarizes the flexibilities that will be effective July 1, 2018.

06/01/2018
Resource | Guidance Documents Child Nutrition Program Waiver Request Guidance and Protocol- Revised

This memorandum revises the current USDA Food and Nutrition Service process for state agencies and eligible service providers seeking a waiver of statutory or regulatory program requirements for the child nutrition programs, including the CACFP, the SFSP, the NSLP, the FFVP, the SMP, and the SBP. 

05/24/2018
Resource | Guidance Documents Demonstration Project for Non-Congregate Feeding for Outdoor Summer Meal Sites Experiencing Excessive Heat with Q&As

Through this memorandum, pursuant to the authority of  the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Act 2010, FNS is continuing the 2017 demonstration project allowing non-congregate feeding at certain outdoor summer meal sites experiencing excessive heat for summer 2018, to develop and test alternative methods of providing access to summer meals for low income children. 

05/24/2018
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 Providing Child Nutrition Program Benefits to Disaster Survivor Evacuees

This memorandum provides a reminder overview of options available under current program policy and regulation for connecting children and adult survivors, who have evacuated from areas subject to major disaster and emergency declarations, and may be staying in shelters, with child nutrition program benefits.

01/19/2018
Resource | Guidance Documents Market Basket Analysis when Procuring Program Goods and Modifying Contracted-For Product Lists

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. 

01/18/2018
Resource | Guidance Documents FNS-640 SY 2016-17 Reporting Guidance

This memo provides SY 2016-17 reporting guidance for the FNS-640 report. The FNS-640 report form is scheduled to be available in the Food Programs Reporting System in January 2018. The attached revised instructions and business rules/edit checks supersede the instructions that were released with memorandum SP 25-2017, FNS-640: Administrative Review Report Form and Instructions.

01/08/2018
Resource | Policy Donated Food Storage, Distribution, and Product Dating

This general USDA Foods guidance memorandum is meant to provide clarification and guidance on policies and procedures for donated food storage and distribution as they relate to product dating.

11/21/2017
Resource | Policy Memos Eligibility Manual for School Meals

The manual provides comprehensive information on federal requirements, policies, and procedures, and is intended to help state agencies and local educational agencies accurately determine, certify, and verify children’s eligibility for free and reduced price school meals and free milk.

07/05/2017
Resource | Policy Memos Clarifications for Fiscal Action School Food Authority-Wide for Administrative Reviews in SY 2016-17

This memorandum addresses questions recently raised by state agencies regarding the FNS requirement to apply fiscal action school food authority-wide and assists state agencies in completing administrative reviews of SFAs in school year 2016-17. 

05/17/2017
Page updated: October 14, 2021