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School Meals Program

June 2024

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USDA POLICY MEMOS

Regulation requires sponsoring organizations and institutions to keep Bulletins, Instructions, and USDA Policy Memorandums for reference and to apply immediately the appropriate instruction to agency programs. Please call Child Nutrition Programs, if further clarification is needed.

All Policy Memos from USDA are located here:

SP 23-2024 Buy American Provisions Related to the Final Rule Titled, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the accompanying optional Buy American Exceptions Tracking Standard Form

SP 22-2024 Geographic Preference Expansion Related to the Final Rule titled, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the Final Rule titled, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

TA 02-2024 Child Nutrition Database | Food and Nutrition Service (usda.gov)

SP 15-2024 Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas Questions and Answers (#2)

SP 14-2024 Paid Lunch Equity: Guidance for School Year 2024-2025

SP13-2024 Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas Questions and Answers

SP 06-2024 Rural Designations in the Summer Meal Programs - Revised

SP 05-2024 Implementation Guidance for the Rural Non-congregate Option Provisions of the Interim Final Rule, Establishing the Summer EBT Program and Rural Non-Congregate Option in the Summer Meal

SP 04-2024 Child Nutrition Program Integrity Final Rule: State Agency Discretion for Repeat Meal Pattern Violations Fiscal Action

NSLP & School Breakfast Program (SBP) Updates:

CNPweb School Nutrition Program Applications are now open

You may now submit your program application for school year 2024-2025 in CNPweb. If you need assistance, please contact the School Nutrition team eed.cnp.schoolmeals@alaska.gov.

Information about the application process and a checklist of additional documents required have been emailed to the person named as the school nutrition director and business manager contact in each LEA's SY 2023-2024 Sponsor Information Sheet.

Annual School Nutrition Program Training

Dates: 25 - 27 June 2024, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Location: Virtual (register via the below Teams links)
Trainings will be recorded for those that are unable to attend.

The annual school nutrition program training will cover CNPweb, applications, eligibility, civil rights, procurement, FFVP, USDA Foods, Smart Snacks, Wellness Policies, Grants, and the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals.  The training has been abbreviated into three afternoon sessions.  These sessions cover the core training topics relevant to school nutrition; the in-person training in July, presented by the Institute of Child Nutrition, is additional, enhanced training.  Registration is open for both the Anchorage and Juneau classes and a limited number of seats are still available on a first come, first serve basis. Registration links were sent to the Food Service Director and Business Manager for each LEA.  For more information, please contact the School Nutrition team eed.cnp.schoolmeals@alaska.gov.

(You must register for each training separately, sorry for the inconvenience).

Tuesday, June 25, 2024, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.: Civil Rights, Professional Standards, Applications, CNPweb, Smart Snacks, Wellness Policies, and Grants

Wednesday, June 26, 2024, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.: Procurement, Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program, and USDA Food Distribution Program

Thursday, June 27, 2024, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.: Community Eligibility Provision and SN Training Wrap-up

Thursday, June 27, 2024, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m.: At-Risk Afterschool CACFP (you must register for this separately)

Interim final rule period of public comment:

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service is extending the public comment period on the interim final rule, “Establishing the Summer EBT Program and Rural Non-Congregate Option in the Summer Meal Programs,’’ which published in the Federal Register on December 29, 2023. This action extends the public comment period From April 29, 2024, to August 27, 2024, to give the public additional time to prepare and submit comments.

Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Send comments to Community Meals Policy Division, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314.

All comments submitted in response to this proposed rule will be included in the record and will be made available to the public. Please be advised that the substance of the comments and the identity of the individuals or entities submitting the comments will be subject to public disclosure. The Food and Nutrition Service will make the comments publicly available on the internet via https://www.regulations.gov.

Child Nutrition Programs Meal Patterns final rule:

Federal Register :: Public Inspection: Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Updates & Reminders: 

Claims - Submit claim data online through the CNP Web Database.    

• April Claim Month - 60 Day Deadline, June 29, 2024
• May Claim Month - 60 Day Deadline, July 30, 2024
• The final claim will not be accepted if it is not in the Pending Approval status by the 60-Day claim deadline (see below).  Upward amended claims may be submitted throughout the 60-day period but no later than the 60-Day deadline.  Be aware, claims in Error status cannot be paid and if help is needed from Child Nutrition the sponsor must contact Child Nutrition well in advance of the 60-Day Deadline.

Potential Community Eligibility Provision Schools
You may find the annual public notice on the School Meal Program page.

Roundtable - NSLP Roundtable Discussion June 5, 2024 @ 2:00 p.m. 

Roundtable - NSLP Roundtable Discussion June 19, 2024 @ 2:00 p.m.

HMI Recognition Awards: 

Resources The Guide to Professional Standards for School Nutrition Programs is a central resource that comprehensively outlines the required USDA Professional Standards for State and local school nutrition program professionals who manage and operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP).*  Also included is useful information regarding available trainings in the Professional Standards Training Database and tracking training using the Professional Standards Training Tracker Tool (PSTTT). The Professional Standards Training Tracker Tool (PSTTT) has a new look with graphic images of training statistics. Employee users can quickly view their progress to meet annual training requirements along with their Achievement Badges. The Child Nutrition (CN) Labeling Manual is now available online. The CN Labeling Manual provides food manufacturers with instructions on how to apply for and obtain approval for a Child Nutrition (CN) label. It also contains instructions for calculating the contribution that meats, meat alternates, poultry, and seafood products make toward the meal pattern requirements for Child Nutrition Programs (CNP). CN labels are approved by USDA and provide a way for a manufacturer to demonstrate how a processed food product contributes to the meal pattern requirements in CNP.

Two exciting new features have been added to the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) Interactive Web-based Tool. Both features are available under the Tools menu on the toolbar: 

• Interactive flow chart on using the preparation yield walks users through when to use the Preparation Yield factor in the Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW). 
• An Ounces to Pounds Calculator allows users to easily convert ounces to pounds and pounds to ounces to make converting units a breeze! 
  • New yields are now available in the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs Interactive Web-based (FBG) Tool and FBG Mobile App! New yield data is available for: USDA Foods canned mixed fruit and canned beef, smoked salmon fillet, cactus fruit (prickly pear), purple rice, instant long grain brown rice, and quick cooking medium grain brown rice.  Stay tuned for additional yield data releases coming soon.

Explore the Food Buying Guide today! 

Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition: https://theicn.org/cicn/ This new section of trainings from ICN is great for districts that want to do more scratch cooking or have cooks who need additional culinary skills. iLearn – ICN E-learning (docebosaas.com).  Child Nutrition Sharing Site (CNSS) - recruiting new resources

Contact Us

Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
Division of Finance and Support Services
Child Nutrition Programs
P.O. Box 110500
Juneau, AK 99811

Disclaimer

This newsletter contains hyperlinks to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the reader’s convenience. DEED does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Furthermore, the inclusion of links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites.

Confidential Information

Confidential information should never be shared via email outside of the SFA’s email system.  Since email can easily be transmitted to the wrong recipient or intercepted by a third party, it could lead to a breach of confidential information.  When emailing Alaska Child Nutrition Programs, sponsors are encouraged to make arrangements with the recipient(s) to email documents with ZendTo (https://drop.state.ak.us/drop/).  Please contact DEED CNP for further information.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement (English)

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

      1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil                    Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

      2. fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

      3. email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.