Federal Legislation (FY 17-18)

SNA’s 2017 School Nutrition Trends Report

SNA released its 2017 School Nutrition Trends Report, a summary of findings from a survey conducted with SNA members. The report contains information on menu trends related to student customization, flavor trends and clean label ingredients. 60% of responding districts are offering new menu items that feature international flavors, 56% report serving cleaner label choices and over half offer made-to-order or self-serve entrée bars! The survey also revealed that school nutrition professionals have employed a wide range of tactics to meet sodium and whole grain regulations, but continue to face challenges and express concerns about meeting those particular mandates. For more information, check out SNA’s press release on the report, or read the report summary here.

 

 

SNA Submits Comment on Identifying Regulatory Reform Initiatives

SNA  submitted a comment in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Federal Register Notice on July 17, 2017, Identifying Regulatory Reform Initiatives, which requested ideas from the public on how USDA can provide better customer service and remove unintended barriers to participation in their programs. SNA used the responses collected from the survey sent out about the topic to highlight priority areas where reforms should be directed. Those priority areas include ensuring that students from food insecure households are not “priced out” of the school nutrition programs due to paid lunch equity, streamlining the multiple program regulations for school districts operating multiple child nutrition programs, offering flexibility in the variety of fruits and vegetables being offered, and understanding the impact of Smart Snacks on fiscal sustainability. SNA will continue to provide feedback and raise additional ideas for change in order to promote healthy meals for our nations’ students. 

 

 

School Nutrition Professionals Recognized in Congress

SNA was honored to collaborate with Congressman Rodney Davis (R-Ill-13) in developing a special recognition for school nutrition professionals, which Rep. Davis delivered in the United States’ House of Representatives on Wednesday, September 13, 2017. The recognition highlighted all the important work that school nutrition professionals do every school day to ensure that children are eating healthy, balanced meals that enable them to succeed and work their hardest in the classroom. School nutrition staff are a vital part of the education system, and you should take special pride in the work you do feeding millions of children and making their lunchroom experience an enjoyable one. SNA, and Congressman Davis on behalf of the U.S House of Representatives, are enormously proud to honor you and recognize your hard work.

SNA is also excited to share our new advocacy video, which helps to explain some of the challenges and goals of school meal programs. The video features several SNA members discussing the positive impact of school nutrition professionals on the lives of students, and why it’s important to serve nutritious, balanced school meals. Feel free to share this video at your state meetings and with your local legislators!

 

 

Promote Your School Nutrition Program with Tools from SNA

SNA offers many valuable tools and resources to help you promote your school nutrition program this year. Read More

 

 

Trump Administration, USDA Names New Leadership

U.S Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced on Wednesday, July 19, the names of three new individuals who will be taking leadership roles within the U.S Department of Agriculture. Brandon Lipps will serve as the Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), while also serving as Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Food and Nutrition Consumer Services (FNCS) until a permanent appointee is nominated by the president and approved by the Senate. Previously, Lipps worked for the Texas Tech University System as the Chief of Staff and Director of Federal Affairs in the Office of Chancellor Robert Duncan, served as counsel and senior professional staff to the U.S House Committee on Agriculture, and held various positions under Chancellor Duncan while he served as Texas State Senator.

Maggie Lyons will serve as Chief of Staff and senior advisor to the Under Secretary. Before joining the USDA, Lyons was the Senior Government Relations Director for the National Grocers Association (NGA) and worked on Capitol Hill in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Lastly, Kailee Tkacz will serve as policy advisor to the Under Secretary. Her work experience includes serving as the Director of Food Policy for the Corn Refiners Association (CRA), Director of Government Affairs for the Snack Food Association and Government Affairs Manager for the National Grocers Association.

Regarding the staffing announcements, Secretary Perdue issued this statement:

“The health and nutrition programs administered by USDA play a tremendous role in the Administration’s efforts to improve education and job readiness. I have no doubt that Brandon, Maggie, and Kailee will help further our mission of feeding the world and making decisions in our nutrition programs that are science-based and data-driven. I welcome Brandon, Maggie, and Kailee to the USDA family and I thank them for their desire to serve this nation.”

Also on Wednesday, the White House sent the Senate Agriculture committee its official notice of intent to nominate Stephen Censky for USDA Deputy Secretary. Censky previously served at USDA in both the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and worked on the 1990 farm bill. He most recently served as the American Soybean Association’s Chief Executive Officer for 21 years. You can view an organizational chart of these positions and others within USDA on the USDA website.

 

 

Rep. Hartzler Introduces “Local Control of School Lunch Act” 

Representative Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) introduced the “Local Control of School Lunch Act.” H.R. 6541 would repeal sodium restrictions, calorie limits and whole grains requirements for school meals. The bill also repeals Paid Lunch Equity requirements. Read More

(click title above) ...as reported in the "Serving Spoon" by Mary Klatko, MdSNA Federal Legislative Chairperson

 

USDA Announces More Local Control for School Meal Operations

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2018 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Steve Censky today announced two new efforts to provide states and school districts with additional flexibility and support to operate more efficient school meal programs. Censky made the announcement during a speech at the School Nutrition Association Legislative Action Conference in Washington, D.C.

 

 

Child Nutrition Hiring Flexibility Rule

In 2015, USDA established education and training requirements for nutrition professionals as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. While this strengthened many school meal programs, some small school districts faced challenges finding qualified applicants to direct their local food service operation. Today’s proposal would provide much-needed relief for school districts with less than 2,500 students, allowing them more flexibility in the hiring of new school nutrition program directors.

“Small and rural school districts will no longer have to overlook qualified food service professionals because of one-size-fits-all standards that don’t meet their needs," said Censky. “We trust our local partners to hire talented school nutrition program directors who will manage the meal service in a way that protects the health and well-being of students.”

USDA is providing a 60-day public comment period and will then develop a final rule that responds to the needs of partners and stakeholders.

 

 

Child Nutrition Food Crediting Request for Information

To support states’ efforts to improve program integrity, USDA also rolled out a suite of customizable resources to help local school districts improve the accuracy of their school meal application processes. These resources include support for online applications, evidenced-based materials, and best practices to simplify the process for families and ensure that eligible children receive free and reduced-priced meals.

“USDA’s goal to do right and feed everyone starts with our children,” said Censky. “We are committed to giving states and school districts more tools and options to build a bright, self-sufficient future for America’s children through well-managed school meal programs.”

As part of this package, USDA is offering guidance to help schools utilize its award-winning, open-source online school meal application model. USDA developed the application with input from local food service professionals. The customer-friendly design of the model is intended to increase the integrity of the application process by reducing common mistakes families make when applying for free or reduced-priced school meals.

“These tools are the benchmark for future innovation and give schools 21st century resources and strategies to run efficient food service operations, now and into the future,” Censky said. “Schools can ensure the proper use of funds for feeding students in need, protecting the taxpayer dollar through high integrity programs.”

USDA invites software developers in private industry to join schools in delivering customer service by helping them tailor their own applications.

Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of recent USDA actions to expand flexibility and ease challenges for partners and stakeholders who help feed our nation’s children. Other actions include:

• Publishing the School Meal Flexibility Rule, which provides local food service professionals the flexibility they need to serve wholesome, nutritious, and tasty meals in schools across the nation.
• Releasing “The Food Buying Guide,” a mobile app that puts critical information at the fingertips of food service professionals and makes it easier for them to plan wholesome, nutritious, and tasty school meals.
• Selecting Kansas State University to direct the Center for Food Safety in Child Nutrition Programs, which will help improve food safety across all of USDA’s child nutrition programs.
• Inviting the public to submit ideas on food crediting, the system that defines how each food item contributes to meal requirements under the National School Lunch Program and other federal child nutrition programs.

About 100,000 schools and institutions feed 30 million children through the National School Lunch Program and nearly 15 million children through the School Breakfast Program. Many of these children receive their meals at no cost or for a reduced price according to income-based eligibility.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers 15 nutrition assistance programs, including the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which together comprise America's nutrition safety net.

 

 

11.21.2017 Donated Food Storage, Distribution, and Product Dating (Revised)

USDA posted a revised policy update titled Donated Food Storage, Distribution, and Product Dating, which affects the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), Child an Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Charitable Institutions. The memo is intended to provide clarification and guidance on policies and procedures for donated food storage and distribution as they relate to product dating. Besides this guidance, more resources can be found on the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service website and on the USDA Foods Complaint Procedure website.

 

 

01.08.2018 FNS-640 SY 2016-17 Reporting Guidance

USDA issued a policy update providing multiple resources for SY 2016-17 reporting guidance for the FNS-640 report, also known as the Administrative Review Report Form. The Report Form is scheduled to be available in the Food Programs Reporting System (FPRS) in January 2018. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) outlines some reporting flexibilities in their memo on the report. The resources found within the policy update regarding FNS-640 include: a Reporting Guidance Memo; Instructions Summary of Revisions; FNS-640A Revised Instructions; FNS-640B Revised Instructions; FNS-640A Data Fields with Location; and FNS-640B Data Fields with Location. Technical assistance and training to support State Agencies’ implementation of the revised form is being offered, and state agencies with questions should contact their FNS Regional office.

 

 

SNA Submits Comment on USDA School Meal Rule

On Friday, January 19, SNA submitted an official comment to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in response to the interim final rule on "Child Nutrition Programs: Flexibilities for Milk, Whole Grains and Sodium," published in the Federal Register on November 30, 2017. In the comment, SNA expressed appreciation for the Department’s efforts to address the challenges school districts have confronted in transitioning to updated meal pattern requirements. SNA also reminded USDA that school districts are looking forward to a permanent solution eliminating the onerous management of temporary rules and, where allowed, annual waivers. You can read the complete comment here.

Label our MdSNA response to Interim Regs.

Reg Comments Doc

 

 

12.14.2017 Food Crediting in Child Nutrition Programs: Request for Information

In a Federal Register Notice published on December 14, 2017, USDA announced an information collection on food crediting for Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs). CNPs must reflect the meal patterns and nutrition standards set forth by USDA in order to claim federal reimbursement, and crediting is the process designed by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to specify how individual food items contribute to those meal patterns. The Request for Information is intended to help FNS gather feedback from stakeholders on how the crediting system can be improved, as well as to offer customer service to those operating and benefiting from CNPs. Electronic comments are preferred and may be submitted to the Federal Register by February 12, 2018. More information can be found in USDA’s press release.

Revised Prototype Free and Reduced Price Application for SY 2017-18

The USDA released a policy memo on May 3, 2017, announcing their Revised Prototype Application for Free and Reduced Price Meals for SY 2017-2018. In SY 2016-2017 the USDA Office of Civil Rights received 1,700 of these applications in error, as they were actually intended for local officials who make eligibility determinations, and not complaints of discrimination. The applications were forwarded by USDA to the appropriate State and local agencies, and in an effort to make sure the applications go to the right place this year, minor design changes were made in the Prototype Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals. FNS has added, to both the heading of Step 4 of the prototype application and Step 4 in the instructions, a field for program operators to include a mailing address where households may send completed applications. These headings are added to provide additional clarity on where to send the applications, and although inclusion of these elements on application forms developed by State agencies and LEAs is optional, it is encouraged. Attached to the memorandum are the application instructions, a Word version of the application, and a PDF version of the application. 

 

 

6.29.2017 Federal Register: APEC III, Improper Payments Study

The proposed APEC III study will provide FNS with the information needed to reduce improper payments in school meals programs. The study will survey a nationally representative sample of School Food Authorities (SFAs), a sample of schools within each SFA, and a random sample of students within each school that applied or were directly certified for free and reduced-price meals. The data will be used to develop national estimates of the annual error rates and erroneous payments for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program in school year 2017-18 and to identify strategies for reducing errors. Comments on this record collection can be sent to Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), [email protected] 

 

 

Senators Collins and Heitkamp Reintroduce “School Food Modernization Act”

On Thursday, June 21, 2017, Senator Collins reintroduced the “  School Food Modernization Act,” or S. 1402, on behalf of her and Senator Heitkamp. The bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to make loan guarantees and grants to finance certain improvement to school lunch facilities, train school foodservice professionals, and for other purposes. These improvements can include remodeling, purchasing durable equipment, and expanding the infrastructure of the school lunch program that will provide healthy meals. The loan guarantees and the equipment grants will be awarded on a competitive basis and up to the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture, though certain eligible entities will have priority. S. 1402 goes on to outline fees, funding, and Federal share breakdowns for these programs, as well as for the training and technical assistance for school food service personnel. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. 

 

 

"Nutrition Coordinators for Local Healthy Youth Act" Introduced

On Wednesday, June 20, 2017, Rep. Tim Ryan introduced H.R. 2967, or the “Nutrition Coordinators for Local Healthy Youth Act,” which was referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The bill amended the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to establish a grant program to appoint nutrition coordinators to oversee local school nutrition policies in local education agencies. The Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, will select local education agencies to receive the grants, based on the applications that they submit, which are up to the Secretary to design. The coordinator role is to ensure compliance with local school wellness policies, conduct trainings and information sharing of best practices and to collaborate with other coordinators. 

 

 

Reimbursement Rates and Value of Donated Foods

USDA has released new reimbursement rates for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Special Milk Program and Afterschool Care Programs. The rates were published in today’s Federal Register. Reimbursement rates for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) are also available .A third notice published today announces the value of donated foods, specifically the national average value of donated foods or, where applicable, cash in lieu of donated foods for each lunch served by schools participating in the NSLP and for each lunch and supper served by institutions participating in the CACFP.The new rates and value of donated foods apply to School Year 2017-18 and are effective July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018.Click here to see charts. 

 

 

President Trump Releases Fiscal 2018 Budget

Today, President Trump released his fiscal 2018 budget request, A New Foundation for American Greatness.  The request, presented to Congress, outlines in detail the President’s proposal to streamline spending making bold and specific policy priorities, and includes economic and accounting analyses.  This follows up on the President’s ‘skinny budget,’ which was released March 13, 2017.   

President Trump is calling for a $3.6 trillion slash in spending over the next 10 years.  For FY 2018, the request calls for $668 billion in defense spending, $22 billion above current spending; and a $479 billion budget for non-defense programs, which is $57 billion less than current spending.  Proposed SNAP funding would decrease more than $190 billion over 10 years – which is a decrease of over 25%.

In addition to the White House budget, it is worth noting that Congress is beginning their Fiscal Year 2018 appropriations process.  In fact, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue will appear tomorrow, at a USDA Budget Hearing before the House Committee on Appropriations, where he will undoubtedly field questions pertaining to the proposed cuts to Agriculture programs.  That hearing is 10:00 am ET and will be webcast.

The School Nutrition Association is reviewing the budget in detail, paying special attention to White House recommendations related to USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and any impacts to school meal programs.  Sign up for SNA’s legislative and regulatory newsletter, Tuesday Morning, to ensure you are up to date.

 

 

U.S. Representative Kristi Noem Introduces School Meal Bill

On May 4th, 2017, Representative Kristi Noem (SD-At Large) introduced H.R. 2382, or the Permanent Flexibility for Schools Act. The bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to remove some Federal nutrition requirements. The bill essentially changes the words “nutritional requirements” to “nutrition guidelines” in the two previous bills, and thus does not necessitate school meals to definitively meet the standards that they laid out. The Permanent Flexibility for Schools Act has been referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

 

 

Summary of AG/FDA Appropriation for FY2017

As you may have heard, Congressional leaders have agreed upon an FY17 omnibus spending bill.  The vote in both the House and Senate will occur sometime this week.  Attached is the summary for the Ag Appropriations portion.  CN Programs info is attached and below:Food and Nutrition Programs – The legislation contains discretionary funding, as well as mandatory funding required by law, for food and nutrition programs within the Department of Agriculture. This includes funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and child nutrition programs.Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) – The bill provides $6.35 billion in discretionary funding for WIC, which is the same as the fiscal year 2016 enacted level. Because of robust prior-year funding and declining enrollments in the program, WIC has record levels of carryover balances left over from previous years. Therefore, to make the best use of taxpayer dollars, the bill rescinds $850 million of these unobligated balances, which will have no impact on participation in the program.Child nutrition programs – The bill provides for $22.8 billion in required mandatory funding – which is outside the discretionary funding jurisdiction of the Appropriations Committee – for child nutrition programs. This is $644 million above the fiscal year 2016 enacted level. This funding will provide free or reduced-price school lunches and snacks for 31 million children who qualify for the program. The bill provides more than $627 million for the Summer Food Service Program to ensure low-income children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. In addition, the bill continues funding for a pilot program that provides additional funds through SNAP or WIC electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards to ensure children in underserved communities receive food during the summer months.The bill also stops an Obama-era school meal regulation from being implemented – providing flexibility for whole grains and milk and preventing  changes to sodium standards that have not been fully scientifically vetted.

 

 

Commends USDA in Supporting Practical Flexibility to Benefit School Meals Programs and Students

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Elizabeth Cowles Johnston 860-426-9991 ext 20; [email protected] 5/1/17 NATIONAL HARBOR, MD – School Nutrition Association (SNA) joined U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue as he released an interim rule seeking regulatory flexibility for school meal programs.  Today's commitment by Secretary Perdue addresses concerns raised in SNA's 2017 Position Paper, which requested maintaining Target 1 sodium levels and restoring the initial requirement that at least half of grains offered through school meals be whole grain rich.While SNA supports preserving robust federal rules, the Association has continued to advocate for practical flexibility under federal nutrition standards to help ease menu planning challenges and appeal to diverse student tastes."School Nutrition Association is appreciative of Secretary Perdue's support of school meal programs in providing flexibility to prepare and serve healthy meals that are appealing to students.  School nutrition professionals are committed to the students they serve and will continue working with USDA and the Secretary to strengthen and protect school meal programs," said SNA CEO Patricia Montague, CAE.Members of SNA have advocated for flexibility to address overly prescriptive regulations that have resulted in unintended consequences, including reduced student lunch participation, higher costs and food waste.  The Association recognizes that providing schools practical flexibility has been supported by Senator Pat Roberts, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Congressmen Robert Aderholt, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies for the House Appropriations Committee.In addition to requests for practical flexibility under federal nutrition regulations, SNA has called for protecting school meal programs from block grant proposals and expanding USDA Foods to support the School Breakfast Program.

 

 

SNA Welcomes Confirmation of USDA Secretary Perdue

4/25/17NATIONAL HARBOR, MD – The non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA), representing 57,000 school nutrition professionals nationwide, welcomed the confirmation of former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue as Secretary of the US Department of Agriculture.“School Nutrition Association looks forward to working with Secretary Perdue to find ways to strengthen school meal programs, which support the success of more than 30 million students each school day,” said SNA President Becky Domokos-Bays, PhD, RD, SNS. “We hope Secretary Perdue will be a champion for these programs, which have ensured students have access to healthy meals at school for more than 70 years.”More than 900 school nutrition professionals participated in SNA’s Legislative Action Conference and Charge to the Hill earlier this month to advocate on behalf of school meals and students.  SNA has called for protecting school meal programs from block grant proposals, expanding USDA Foods to support the School Breakfast Program and granting practical flexibility under federal regulations for school menu planners. Click here to read SNA’s 2017 Position Paper.
2017 Position Paper

Click here for full article on SNA's website.
Every school day, school nutrition programs contribute to the health, well-being and achievement of more than 30 million students across America. To sustain this success, school meal programs require greater support.

The School Nutrition Association (SNA) represents 57,000 professionals who serve students nutritious meals while being responsible stewards of federal funds. SNA urges Congress and the Administration to bolster historically under-funded school meal programs that are struggling to manage increased food and operating costs. While school meals should continue to meet robust federal nutrition standards, requirements must be streamlined to ease regulatory burdens and preserve the financial sustainability of school meal programs. Given the reality of the federal deficit and the absence of a Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill, SNA requests that Congress.

 

Block grants will cut funds and eliminate federal nutrition standards for school meals. Block grant funding caps will prevent schools from serving additional at-risk students when local economic downturns or rising enrollments increase the number of children eligible for free or reduced price meals. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warned that block grants could “eliminate access to nutrition programs for some children and reduce it for others.” Learn more

Support schools, US farmers and students in the next Farm Bill by providing 6 cents in USDA Foods for every school breakfast served.  Currently, commodity support is only provided for school lunch. Expanding USDA Foods to support the School Breakfast Program will allow more students to benefit from a nutritious school breakfast, help schools cover rising costs and advance USDA’s mission of supporting America’s farmers. Learn more

Provide schools practical flexibility under federal nutrition standards to prepare healthy, appealing meals.  Overly prescriptive regulations have resulted in unintended consequences, including reduced student lunch participation, higher costs and food waste. Federal nutrition standards should be modified to help school menu planners manage these challenges and prepare nutritious meals that appeal to diverse student tastes. In particular, USDA should:       

• Maintain the Target 1 sodium levels and eliminate future targets. The Institute of Medicine warned that “reducing the sodium content of school meals as specified and in a way that is well accepted by students will present major challenges and may not be possible.” (School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children)

• Restore the initial requirement that at least half of grains offered through school lunch and breakfast programs be whole-grain rich. The current mandate that all grains offered be whole grain rich has increased waste and costs, while contributing to the decline in student lunch participation. Students are eating more whole grain breads and rolls, but schools are struggling with limited availability of specialty whole grain items and meeting students’ regional and cultural preferences for certain refined grains, such as white rice, pasta, grits, bagels or tortillas.

Simplify regulations to improve efficiencies and provide $1 million to conduct an independent study of the federal Child Nutrition Programs.  Program complexities add to school nutrition costs. Duplicative and overly burdensome administrative mandates divert school nutrition professionals’ attention from their mission of nourishing students. Learn more

View a printable version of SNA's 2017 Position Paper.

 

2017 Position Paper Talking Points

Click here for full SNA's Talking Points.

Block Grants Fact Sheet

Click here for information from SNA on Block Grants.

USDA Foods

Click here for information from SNA on school breakfast commodities.

Casey/Udahl Bill on Shaming Students with Debt or Insufficient Funds

SNA does not have a position on these sorts of bills.  SNA staff did speak with one of the cosponsors staff.  No action is expected on these bills.  SNA is maintaining its previous position of not weighing in on bills that are not part of any organized reauthorization of CN programs--unless it's on block grants. 

USDA Guidance on Paid Lunch Equity

Availability of an exemption to the Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) requirement for school food authorities (SFAs) in strong financial standing has been extended through School Year 2017-18. State agencies should exempt an SFA from the PLE requirements at 7CFR210.14(e) if the SFA requesting the exemption has been certified as meeting the meal pattern requirements and can demonstrate that the required increase to paid lunch prices or revenue contributions would cause the SFA to exceed the 3-month operating balance limit. State agencies are asked to distribute the  U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) memo announcing this update to operators immediately.

Latest USDA Memo on Sodium 2 Target Levels

Click here to view memo

USDA Releases First-Ever Web-Based School Meals Appl. Prototype

New Web Application Designed to Save Time, Money

Contact: FNS Office of the Chief Communications Officer, (703) 305-2281

WASHINGTON, November 30, 2016 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) introduced its first ever web-based school meals program application prototype to streamline the process of applying for school meals and improve the user experience. The prototype – which combines research-based best practices, feedback from application users, and innovative user-experience design solutions submitted via a USDA-administered public contest – is specifically designed to address common issues and minimize the potential for errors in the application process.

“After gathering extensive research and drawing upon a wide-variety of resources, USDA is excited to offer a web-based school meals application prototype that will improve the application experience for families and schools alike,” said Kevin Concannon, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. “This project is just one of many recent efforts that demonstrate USDA’s commitment to ensuring the integrity of the school meal programs.”

The web-based prototype is primarily intended to serve as a functional model representing best practices in web-based application design.  States and schools may also choose to adapt it for their own use, and USDA strongly encourages software vendors that serve the school market to incorporate the prototype’s integrity features into their own products.

Previously, USDA provided a paper application prototype that schools and states can choose to adopt or adapt to best serve their needs. However, research shows that web-based applications can help reduce error rates by providing prompts and feedback to the applicant throughout the process.  Therefore, as part of its commitment to enhancing integrity across all school meal programs, USDA developed a web-based application prototype as well.

Earlier this year, USDA hosted a public contest to solicit design concepts for an open source web-based school meal application prototype. Drawing on the innovative strategies submitted, USDA partnered with a talented team of private-sector technologists through the Presidential Innovation Fellows program to create an official web-based prototype application. The resulting streamlined prototype is now available on the FNS website. For more information on the web-based prototype application, register for a webinar hosted by USDA on Dec. 15, 2016.

In total, nearly 100,000 schools and institutions serve more than 30 million children through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and over 14 million children through the School Breakfast Program (SBP). Many children receive their meals at no cost or for a reduced price through income-based eligibility. These students rely on school meals as a vital part of their daily nutrition, allowing them to thrive in the classroom and beyond.

The new web-based prototype is just one of several major steps USDA has taken to reduce errors and enhance integrity. USDA recently overhauled its paper application prototype, working with the innovation Lab @ OPM to combine the best elements of applications already in use around the country with that latest research on human centered design. USDA also promotes the use of direct certification, a process which relies on existing sources of information to certify eligible children for free school meals without the need for a household application, thereby reducing the possibility of errors. Errors could lead to improper payments, which present a risk to children who are eligible for assistance.  This new prototype application leverages technology and makes it easier for all concerned.

The school meals programs – NSLP and SBP – are just two of the 15 nutrition assistance programs administered by FNS.  Others include, but are not limited to, the Child and Adult Care Food Program; the Summer Food Service Program; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. 

USDA has worked to strengthen its core nutrition programs that support the nation’s vulnerable populations while, at the same time, putting in place strategies that improve the nutritional quality of the foods we provide. Since 2009, 7.9 million fewer people are struggling to provide enough food for themselves or household members and food insecurity for children is at the lowest level on record. USDA has led the effort to implement the historic Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which ensures that more than 50 million children have a healthier food environment at school. Read more about USDA’s work to improve nutrition under this Administration at Growing a Healthier Future: Improving Nutrition and Access to Healthy Food for Americans.

Revised Guidance-Summer Meals, Area Eligibility-CN Programs

http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cn/SP10_SFSP06-2017_OS.pdf http://www.fns.usda.gov/2017-edition-questions-and-answers-national-school-lunch-program%E2%80%99s-seamless-summer-optionhttp://www.fns.usda.gov/area-eligibility-child-nutrition-programs 

Trump and Flotus Agree on School Lunch

Speaking of school lunch,Donald Trump said in his interview for "The Dr. Oz Show," which aired Thursday, that inadequate food budgets and a lack of sports programs are helping to fuel the country's childhood obesity epidemic, reflecting a point of view that seems to agree at least partly with that of first lady Michelle Obama. The Republican presidential nominee was asked how he would handle America's obesity problem, particularly in children, by a member of the audience who identified themselves as a teacher."That is a school thing, to a certain extent," Trump said. "I guess you could say it's a hereditary thing, too. I would imagine it is certainly a hereditary thing. But a lot of schools aren't providing proper food because they have budget problems and they're buying cheaper food and not as good [of] food." He then went on to emphasize the importance of sports in schools.

CBPP Report says Block Grants put Children's Nutrition at Risk

SNA Rallies against Block Grants