Weekly School Nutrition Newsletter

Indiana Department of Education sent this bulletin at 09/05/2019 10:57 AM EDT

09/05/2019

Dear Food Service Contact,

This email provides news for schools concerning the Child Nutrition Programs from the USDA and the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). If you are the food service contact for your school or corporation, it is your responsibility to relay important information provided to you about the Child Nutrition Programs to other staff members.

Allowable Costs

  • School Food Authorities (SFAs) must ensure that only allowable costs are covered by nonprofit school food service funds. Foods or beverages served outside of the approved reimbursable meals programs offered free of charge to students or adults cannot be purchased with federal funds.
  • For instance, it is unallowable for SFAs, not participating in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), to use federal funds to purchase fruits and vegetables and offer them to students or adults at no cost.
  • Some ways SFAs can cover the costs of such food/beverages with non-federal funding are:
    • SFA’s general fund account
    • Local Parent/Teacher Organizations (PTO)
    • Parent or community donations
    • Charge students and adults a nominal fee
  • If the SFA uses school food service funds to purchase foods/beverages outside of the approved reimbursable meals programs, a catering account should be set up. The school food service account must then be reimbursed fully for the catering costs.
  • For more information on allowable and unallowable costs, refer to our finance fact sheets and the indirect cost guidance manual: https://www.doe.in.gov/nutrition/financial-management.
  • Questions? Contact SCN Finance at scnfinance@doe.in.gov. 

Food Day 2019

  • Mark your calendars! Join us next month in October to celebrate Food Day 2019!
  • This year, IDOE has partnered with the American Dairy Association Indiana to highlight local yogurt. Mix it together with fresh, locally grown herbs to make a cool, creamy herbed yogurt dip.
  • Click here to learn more about Herbie the garden gnome, access the 2019 Food Day toolkit, and obtain other details of Food Day.
  • Questions? Contact Maggie Schabel at mschabel@doe.in.gov.

Save the Date! Great Apple Crunch

  • The 2019 Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch will take place at noon on Thursday, October 10.
  • Join schools across Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio in celebrating National Farm to School Month by crunching into locally and regionally grown apples.
  • Click here to view the save the date.
  • Click here for more information. 
  • Questions? Contact Maggie Schabel at mschabel@doe.in.gov.

2019 USDA Farm to School Census is Coming!

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA/FNS) is gearing up for the 2019 Farm to School Census!
  • It is important that all SFAs participate, regardless of their participation in farm to school activities. Whether you purchase one carrot or a whole salad bar of produce from local farmers and ranchers, we want to hear from you!
  • If you are curious about how your responses will be used, feel free to check out the results of the 2015 Farm to School Census at https://farmtoschoolcensus.fns.usda.gov/.
  • In the second week of September, Abt Associates will e-mail you a link to the Census and instructions. Please be on the look-out for this email and complete the census survey.
  • For more info, click here.

Indiana School Nutrition Association (ISNA) Upcoming Trainings

Fall Regional Workshops

  • This year's Fall Workshops will focus on "Practical Culinary Skills."
  • All classes will begin at 3:30 p.m., with the exception of the class held in Region 2, which will begin at 4 p.m.
  • A light meal is provided as a part of the registration.
  • Registration will be open on the ISNA website soon!
  • Questions? Contact Sheri Shipp at sheri@indianasna.org. 

ISNA/IDOE School Nutrition Certificate Program

  • The next course offered as part of the ISNA/IDOE School Nutrition Certificate Program will be on Friday, October 11 at The Willows on Westfield. 
  • Procurement: Beyond the Basics will be held in the morning followed by USDA Foods: Background, Utilization, and Strategy in the afternoon. 
  • Registration will be available on the ISNA website soon!
  • Questions? Contact Sheri Shipp at sheri@indianasna.org. 

Team Nutrition (TN)

  • The TN initiative supports the Child Nutrition Programs by:
    • Providing training and technical assistance to food service professionals
    • Providing technical resources to support healthy school and child care environments
    • Developing nutrition education resources that help children learn about agriculture and make informed food choices
  • Why Should Your School Join the Team?
    • Affirm their commitment to helping students make healthier food choices and be more physically active.
    • Be the first to hear about new nutrition education and training materials developed under the Team Nutrition initiative. Examples can be viewed here.
    • Receive special nutrition education and promotion materials.
    • Have the opportunity to be highlighted on Team Nutrition social media and in print publications. See our Team Nutrition Popular Events Idea Booklet for examples.
  • Join today here!      

Miss a Weekly School Nutrition Newsletter? Click here to access previous newsletters!

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Please do not reply directly to this email. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this email, please contact Allie Caito-Sipe at acaito@doe.in.gov, call (317) 232-0849, or toll-free at 1-800-537-1142 ext. 20849, or contact Ashley Heller at aheller@doe.in.gov, call (317) 232-0544, or toll-free at 1-800-537-1142 ext. 20544.