National School Lunch Program
Child Nutrition Program NYS Waiver Requests
The New York State Education Department (SED) has requested a waiver from USDA for regulations 7 CFR 210.7, 220.9 and 225.9(d)(7) to allow School Food Authorities and Summer Food Service Program Sponsors additional reimbursement for costs necessary to provide meals and meal supplements with appropriate safety measures to help minimize potential exposure to COVID-19 while schools are closed.
The waiver has not been approved at this time. Further guidance will be made available upon approval.
Local School Wellness Policy and Triennial Assessment
Local education agencies (LEAs) participating in the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program were required to develop a local school wellness policy and have this policy in place by July 1, 2017. An assessment of this policy must be conducted at a minimum of once every three years. Therefore, the first triennial assessment must be completed by June 30, 2020.
FY19 NSLP Equipment Grant
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the FY19 National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grant for School Food Authorities (SFAs).
RFP GC20-021 is posted at the Grants Administered by NYSED webpage:
USDA Farm to School Grant Due Dec. 13th
The FY 2020 USDA Farm to Grant Request for Applications (RFA) is now available! Grants are designed to expand farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.
NYS Farm to School Grant Due Nov. 7th
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that $1.5 million is available for eligible school districts to support the growth of the Farm-to-School programs across New York State ahead of the upcoming school year.
Applications are due November 7, 2019 by 4 pm and should be submitted in Grants Gateway.
2019 USDA Farm to School Census
OVS Posters and Tip Sheets
Now Available through USDA!
Offer versus Serve (OVS) National School Lunch Program Posters and Lunch and Breakfast OVS Tip sheets!
The Offer versus Serve (OVS) Lunch Posters for elementary, middle and high school students may be used as signage to instruct students to select a reimbursable meal under OVS. The OVS tip sheets are intended for use by school foodservice staff to enhance their understanding of OVS requirements at breakfast and lunch.
Final Rule: Child Nutrition Program Flexibilities
This final rule increases flexibility in the Child Nutrition Program requirements related to milk, grains, and sodium effective SY 2019-2020, which begins July 1, 2019. The purpose of this rule is to ease operational burden and provide school nutrition professionals the flexibility needed to successfully operate the Child Nutrition Programs. This final rule makes the following changes beginning in SY 2019-2020:
Newly Creditable Food Items in Child Nutrition Programs
New food yields for the following food items have been added to the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) Interactive Web-Based Tool: surimi seafood, tempeh, coconut, popcorn, and hominy. Please see the following memos for guidance on these newly creditable food items:
FY 2018 Food Service Equipment Grant Awards
The list of applicants that were selected to receive the FY 2018 National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grant for School Food Authorities (SFAs) can be found in the link below.