National School Lunch Program
Summer Food Service Program Outreach
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 established requirements for SFAs conducting outreach for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). SFAs may distribute information through means normally used to communicate with households of enrolled children. Acceptable outreach activities may include developing and distributing printed and electronic materials that provide information on the availability and location of summer meals to families of school children prior to the end of the school year. Here are some outreach strategies for you:
Providing School Meals for Students Observing Ramadan
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is now approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to offer waivers to allow school food authorities (SFAs) to serve non-congregate meals to children who celebrate Ramadan. During Ramadan, students fast or refrain from eating during typical daylight hours, including when school breakfast and/or lunch is served. These waivers allow SFAs to provide students who attend school and are fasting during Ramadan with non-congregate breakfast and lunch meals to consume after daylight hours.
These waivers may only be used:
Waiver Request Notification
The New York State Education Department (SED) has requested State-level waiver authority from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to approve the following operational flexibilities for non-congregate meal service through the end of school year 2023-24.
Save The Date: NY Farm to School Summit
The NYSED Child Nutrition Program Office is thrilled to announce that we have partnered with Cornell Cooperative Extension, Harvest NY, to host the first ever NY Farm to School Summit with the theme: It takes a Village!
The summit will be held November 21st-22nd, 2024 at the OnCenter in Syracuse, NY. This exciting event will increase the capacity of program operators to buy and serve local NY foods in their school meals programs and will offer ample opportunities for developing partnerships between schools and local farmers/producers.
FY23 NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant for SFAs
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) Child Nutrition Program Office has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the FY23 National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grant for School Food Authorities (SFAs).
After-School Snack Program in CEP Schools
Schools that participate in the afterschool snack program serve reimbursable snacks to every student at no charge. For Community Eligibility Schools (CEP) schools, snack claims will be reimbursed according to the school’s snack needy status. Schools that qualify as snack needy are reimbursed for all snacks at the federal free rate. CEP schools that do not qualify as snack needy (non-snack needy) are reimbursed for snacks based on the approved CEP claiming percentage.
Wayne Farms, LLC, Recalls RTE Chicken Products
On December 7, 2023, Wayne Farms, LLC, of Decatur, Alabama, recalled approximately 1,377 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken breast products that may be undercooked. This recall does
CDC Food Safety Alert: Cantaloupes
For your awareness, a CDC food safety alert regarding an outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to cantaloupes has been updated. Seven children attended childcare centers before they got sick. Children under 5 can get very sick from Salmonella.
Crediting Traditional Indigenous Foods
FNS is pleased to release TA 01-2024: Crediting Traditional Indigenous Foods in Child Nutrition Programs. This memorandum is now available at https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/crediting-traditional-indigenous-foods and supersedes TA 01-2015: Child Nutrition Programs and Traditional Foods.
Allowable Flexibilities for School Meal Programs Experiencing Milk Supply Shortages
Due to the unexpected nationwide shortage of paper milk cartons, many School Food Authorities (SFAs) are not able to obtain milk in half pints for their school meals programs. Although SFAs are expected to meet the fluid milk requirements to the greatest extent possible, supply chain disruptions, including disruptions that limit milk variety or affect serving size, are considered a temporary emergency condition. In these instances, SFAs are allowed to serve and claim meals during the emergency period by: