USDA Policy, Information, and Implementation Memos
Sponsoring organizations and institutions are required by regulation to keep Bulletins, Instructions, and USDA Policy Memorandums for reference and to apply them immediately to the appropriate agency programs. Call Child Nutrition Programs if you need further clarification.
To view the USDA SFSP policy memos, visit: DEED Child Nutrition Programs website or the USDA Policy Memorandum webpage.
Please continue to monitor the CNPWeb for any policy memos, additional information, or program guidance at the Child Nutrition Programs website.
Additional Topics
How can I offer healthier meals?
With summer operations slowly winding down, this would be a good time to reflect on what went well this summer and what can be improved for the next summer.
- Emphasize nutrition expectations in vendor specifications. For example, specify low-fat content for dairy products like cheese, yogurt, and milk.
- Share your nutrition goals with program staff, partners, and supporters. Discuss how you are working to make every bite count by offering foods that provide the nutrients kids need to grow and be healthy. Work together to find ways to offer healthier food items that kids enjoy. Focus on a few small changes at a time.
- When building your summer menu, be sure to taste test recipes and possible menu items with children who are participating in afterschool or school meal programs.
How are you collecting racial/ethnic information?
Through CFR Part 15 and FNS Instruction 113-1, federal regulations require that SFSP and CACFP operators collect racial and ethnic data. This was later amended through SFSP Policy Memo 07-2021 which removed the option for visual identification.
How can sponsors and sites gather racial/ethnic data without visual identification?
- Encourage participants to complete the voluntary form.
- This could be a sign and/or a verbal request for participants to complete the form
- Forms should be available in a convenient location, such as at the point of service
- There should be a convenient place to return the forms, such as to the person at the point of service
- If you fail to collect any responses, try to collect responses on multiple days.
- If three separate (consecutive or non-consecutive) attempts to collect racial and ethnic data forms do not result in any forms being returned, sites can document the dates that they attempted to collect the data and, what methods were used to advertise the availability of the form an, and that this resulted in no forms being collected.
Where should you include the USDA Non-Discrimination Statement?
Many sites print and post signs that promote their summer meals. Curious if your sign should include the USDA non-discrimination statement?
Include the non-discrimination statement on all program materials, advertisements, and :
- When your print materials advertises and gives information about the program (for example, a 'Free food for children here' banner or a 'Summer meals available' sign)
- When you're posting the menu or schedule of meal
You don't need to include the non-discrimination statement when your sign is meant to provide direction (for example, a 'Park here' sign).
Note that you can only use the abbreviated statement if "the size of the material is too small to include the full statement provided above." Documents that are greater than one page must then contain the full statement.
Healthy Meals Incentives Grantees Announced
Congratulations to the Petersburg School District and the Dillingham School District for receiving the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative grant!
As part of a cooperative agreement to develop and implement the USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative, Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) has awarded nearly $30 million in subgrants to 264 school districts across 44 states and the District of Columbia, reaching students in some of our nation’s highest need schools. These funds are being provided by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service.
Each awardee will receive up to $150,000 to support them in improving the nutritional quality of their meals and modernizing their operations, through efforts which could include: innovative staff training programs; kitchen updates and renovations; redesigning food preparation and service spaces; other school-district led efforts to support school meals and school nutrition professionals.
Resources
As a member of the Healthy Food Community of Practice, No Kid Hungry worked with a group of national organizations to create a list of resources on summer meals. Resources include guidance on a range of topics, including ways to access meals, how to become a summer meals site or sponsor, examples from other programs, and more.
Click here to access the Summer Meals Resource Guide.
Team Nutrition has translated the Crediting Fruits, Meats/Meat Alternates, and Milk in the Child Nutrition Programs tip sheets into Spanish. The other tip sheets will be available in Spanish at a later date.
Are you interested in continuing to serve kids outside of school hours during the regular school year? No Kid Hungry has also created a chart that highlights the key differences and similarities in the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program and the Summer Food Service Program.
Reminders
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Don't forget to enter your SFSP claim into CNP Web, and remember to check the certification statement on the claim to put it into Pending Approval status.
Please submit the claim within the 30-Day Claim Submission Date (you can refer to the attached 2023 Claim Calendar). The final claim will not be accepted if it is not in the Pending Approval status by the 60-Day Claim Deadline. Upward amended claims may be submitted throughout the 60-day period but no later than the 60-Day Deadline.
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