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USDA Policy Memos, from USDA, are located at the bottom!
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2025 Share Month Trivia!
What is gelatin made of?
Answer: found within the bulletin, below!
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School Meals Program Reminders:
Claims - Submit claim data online through the CNP Web Database by:
- December Claim Month - 60 Day Deadline, March 3, 2025
- January Claim Month - 60 Day Deadline, April 2, 2025
- 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.
ISNL Cohort - School Meals Program ISNL Cohort, March 11, 2025 @ 2:30 PM
Roundtable - School Meals Program Roundtable, March 12, 2025 @ 2:00 PM
School Meals Program Updates:
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) is pleased to release the latest Free & Reduced-price Eligibility Access Tabulation (EAT) on our Smartsheet dashboard here:
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=cf64d9a66568480f8996059d6259296e
This page will soon be added to DEED's web page; in the meantime, it is publicly accessible from the link above.
You can find a table describing each of EAT report headers at the bottom of the dashboard or download it from the "Downloads" link under "Other EAT Reports".
This year, the EAT includes several enhancements:
- Online web view (if you need to quickly look for a number)
- Download the current and prior year report
- Download a report that includes all historical data from School Year 2010-2011 through present (note that SY 2020-2021 data is incomplete as a result of COVID-19 school operations)
- The datasets include the Division of Community and Regional Affairs Community ID number (found in right cluster of columns), this can be used to connect this data to DCRA's Open Data set (see link in dashboard)
DEED utilizes a small-numbers policy to prevent releasing PII at small schools. In such cases, DEED will release as much information as possible; for example, we may state the F&R percentage is “≥50%” rather than providing a specific percentage.
Harvard - Call to Participate
Calling all school food directors and school business officials – we need your input! The Urban School Food Alliance (USFA), as part of a cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), seeks your feedback on challenges and training opportunities around school food procurement.
The State of Alaska invites you to share your thoughts and feedback through the anonymous survey that will take approximately 10 minutes. The anonymous survey will close on Wednesday, February 26.
Your voice will help shape future tools, training, and rule changes. You could also win an all-expenses paid training course at the Culinary Institute of America!
For questions, please reach out Pamela Portocarrero at pamela_portocarrero@hks.harvard.edu.
Answer: Gelatin comes from boiling the skin, bones, and cartilage of animals such as pigs, cows, and chickens.
SNA NEWS - links below brought to you by School Nutrition Association
Apply now for a 2025 SNF Equipment Grant. The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) is awarding over $600,000 worth of equipment to school districts with its 2025 Equipment Grants. Applicants must be current director-level members of SNA. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, thirteen grants are available. Apply today--the deadline is March 12.
SNF ANC25 scholarship application period is now open!
This year, the School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) is awarding forty-five scholarships to SNA members to help them offset the costs of attending SNA’s 2025 Annual National Conference (ANC25) in San Antonio, TX. Deadline for all applications is March 28. View Scholarships: here
Annual food show highlights trends in school lunches. The Alaska School Nutrition Association's annual Food Show, in Anchorage, showcased the latest trends in school lunches emphasizing variety and health. Anchorage School District's Marci McGill highlighted the use of local ingredients and introduced plant-based chicken tenders from Rebellious Foods, reflecting a growing demand for environmentally friendly options. Full Story: KTVA-TV (Anchorage, Alaska)
Resources
CHILD NUTRITION (CN) LABEL
The Child Nutrition (CN) Labeling Manual is available online. 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 Child Nutrition Programs CNP. 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 (CNP).
CHILD NUTRITION SHARING SITE
Child Nutrition Sharing Site (CNSS) - recruiting new resources.
FOOD BUYING GUIDE (FBG)
The Food Buying Guide includes CNP interactive web-based tools that are available in the Tools menu option on the toolbar.
ICN's E-learning
iLearn – ICN E-learning (docebosaas.com)
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ICN's CICN TRAINING SECTION
The Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition (CICN) training section, is great for schools wanting to scratch cook or gain additional culinary skills: https://theicn.org/cicn/
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SNA TRAINING ZONE
Check out SNA's on-demand webinars
Find educational content and earn CEU credits to achieve your professional goals with the SNA Training Zone!
TEAM NUTRITION
Sign up to receive Team Nutrition updates in English and in Spanish.
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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 can be located here:
SP 08-2025 Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas: Questions and Answers #3
SP 07-2025 Requirement to Accept Medical Statements from Registered Dietitians for Schools
SP 06-2025 National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance Grants: Installation Expenditure
SP 05-2025 Guidance for Accepting Processed Product Documentation for Meal Pattern Requirements
SP 04-2025 Fees for Electronic Payment Services in the School Meal Programs
SP 03-2025 Substituting Vegetables for Grains in American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Tribal Communities
SP 02-2025 Substitution of Vegetables for Fruit Flexibility in the School Breakfast Program: Questions and Answers for Program Operators
SP 01-2025 Fluid Milk Requirements for School Meals
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 Zend To (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.
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