This webinar was held for USDA Foods distributing agency partners, including states, territories, and Indian Tribal Organizations, to talk about the USDA Foods Disaster Assistance provisions in the Food Distribution Programs: Improving Access and Parity Final Rule (89 FR 87228).
The USDA, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) coordinates with State agencies, Tribal Nations, and voluntary organizations as they develop disaster nutrition assistance strategies before, during, and after disasters and emergencies.
This final rule - Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans - is the next step in continuing the science-based improvement of school meals and advancing USDA’s commitment to nutrition security.
School meals will continue to include fruits and vegetables, emphasize whole grains, and give kids the right balance of nutrients for healthy, tasty meals. For the first time, schools will focus on products with less added sugar, especially in school breakfast.
School nutrition professionals continue to make school meals the healthiest meals children eat in a day! To take school meals to the next level, USDA is updating the school nutrition standards after considering recommendations from the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans and listening to a diverse range of voices with experience in child nutrition and health.
This webinar gives an overview of the rulemaking process, highlights specific regulatory changes and provisions that impact the school meal programs, and provides information regarding resources for the final rule.
FNS is offering a suite of operational flexibilities that will be available to child nutrition programs for summer 2022 and school year 2022-23.
This agreement sets out the requirements for administering the child nutrition programs and the food distribution programs.
To support state agencies and program operators as they transition back to standard program operations while continuing to manage challenges associated with the pandemic, FNS is working both internally and with other federal agencies to pursue strategies within existing authorities and available resources.