Resale of Foods
While the resale of foods is allowable, food service departments should be doing everything possible to have the foods used in child nutrition programs serve the needs of students first. Food service departments should utilize Offer vs. Serve (OVS), offer multiple choices within components, and conduct plate waste studies to eliminate items from the menu that few students eat before moving to the resale or recycling of food. If a school decides to retrieve food for resale in future reimbursable meals, they must have a procedure or policy in place that details how food will be handled. This resource outlines the process for the resale of food items in school cafeterias. Contact your assigned field specialist with any questions.
Nominations for the School Food Service Employee of the Year Due Wednesday, February 14
Help IDOE recognize school food service employees who contribute significantly to the health and learning capabilities of students by nominating them for IDOE's 2024 School Food Service Employee of the Year Award. This award was created to recognize the outstanding achievements of school food service employees who excel in the areas of customer service, attitude, professionalism, and teamwork. Submit your nomination by Wednesday, February 14. Contact Suzette Hartman with any questions.
Comment Period Open: Summer EBT Interim Final Rule
The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023 requires the Secretary of Agriculture to make available an option to states to provide summer meals for non-congregate meal service in rural areas with no congregate meal service and to establish a permanent summer electronic benefits transfer for children program (Summer EBT) for the purpose of ensuring continued access to food when school is not in session for the summer.
This interim final rule amends the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the National School Lunch Program’s Seamless Summer Option (SSO) regulations to codify the flexibility for rural program operators to provide non-congregate meal service in the SFSP and SSO, collectively referred to as the summer meal programs. This rule also establishes regulations and codifies the Summer EBT Program in the Code of Federal Regulations.
The Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, invites interested persons to submit written comments on this interim final rule. Comments may be submitted in writing by one of the following methods:
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Federal eRulemaking Portal: Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
- Mail comments to Community Meals Policy Division, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314.
All written comments submitted in response to this interim final 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. USDA will make the written comments publicly available here.
To be considered, written comments on this interim final rule must be received on or before Monday, April 29.
Annual Pre-order Survey
The Annual Pre-order Forecast Survey Training is scheduled for Wednesday, February 7, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET. Event details are below:
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Join on Teams - Meeting ID: 279 767 622 757, Passcode: APBDnL
- Call in - (317) 552-1674, Meeting Code: 8261172#
Expire Dates and Close Dates
As a reminder, school food authorities (SFAs) that participate in the Food Distribution Program (FDP) should regularly check Expire and Close dates in the FDP link in CNPweb under the Inventory tab. The expire date is not the USDA Food expiration date. It is the latest date a USDA Food can remain at the state assigned warehouse (Dilgard Frozen Foods, Stanz-Troyers Foodservice or Wabash Foods) before excess storage fees are assessed. It is a 45-day grace period for school districts to place an order in CNPweb to have USDA Foods delivered to the school and removed from the state assigned warehouse. The close date is the latest date a USDA Food can remain in a school’s inventory before it is swept and redistributed to other schools. This is approximately six months after the USDA Food has been allocated into the SFA’s inventory. Click here for more information.
USDA Foods Recipes
It's cold outside! It‘s a good time to serve some hot soup to your students. Here’s one variation of a taco soup recipe where you can incorporate your USDA Foods such as canned or frozen corn, ground beef, salsa, and beans.
Holidays and E-Learning Day USDA Foods Orders
Please remember that it is mandatory to have school staff available to inspect, verify and accept all USDA Foods orders that are placed. This is especially important for orders placed during e-learning days, school breaks and holidays. State-assigned warehouses Dilgard Frozen Foods, Stanz Foodservice, and Wabash Foods are contracted to deliver Direct Delivered (Brown Box) USDA Foods to schools between the hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. local school time.
OVS Training
IDOE's OVS training will be a two-part series with a focus on each meal pattern and OVS for grades K-8 and 9-12. Join one or both depending on your needs.
School Breakfast Week Preparation Webinars
Register for Culinary Skills for A+ School Meals virtual training opportunities.
Registration for IDOE's Breakfast Best Practices webinar on Thursday, February 22, is coming soon.
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Coming in June: Farm to School Symposium
The Indiana Farm to School and Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) Symposium will be Tuesday, June 18, and Wednesday, June 19, at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds. IDOE is hosting a Farm to School Symposium to discuss gardening, local procurement, and agriculture education. Teachers, food service staff, administrators, and other staff members are welcome to come plan your school’s Farm to School and Farm to ECE projects. If you would like to be a part of the planning, please contact Sophie Lindley.
Direct Certification (DC) Possible Duplicates
The DC system in CNPweb has pushed through match lists that may display duplicate students. Review that the student’s eligibility status has not changed before disregarding the duplicate. Upcoming DC trainings are listed below.
Closing Soon: Grant Opportunity from the Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS)
The PLANTS grant application closes Monday, January 22. This grant is a part of the USDA Food & Nutrition Service Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative and is administered by Chef Ann Foundation in partnership with Kitchen Sync Strategies Collaborative, Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, and National Farm to School Network. Eight projects will be awarded grants between $500,000 and $600,000 to help build and strengthen relationships in community-based food systems, improve food supply chain coordination with local food producers, and expand scratch cooking in schools. Visit the PLANTS webpage for more information.
Upcoming Dates |
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Friday, January 19, 2 to 3 p.m. ET
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Super Sandwiches
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Monday, January 22
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PLANTS Grant Applications Due
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Wednesday, January 24, 10 to 11 a.m. ET
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OVS Grades K-8
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Thursday, January 25, 10 to 11 a.m. ET
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OVS Grades 9-12
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Thursday, January 25, 2 to 3 p.m. ET
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Breakfast Handhelds for Nutrition on the Go
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Friday, January 26, at 11:59 p.m. ET
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Project SCALES Grant Application Due
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Wednesday, February 7, 10 to 11 a.m. ET
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Annual Pre-Order Survey Training
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Thursday, February 8, 2 to 3 p.m. ET
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Low Sugar, Low Fuss Breakfast
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Wednesday, February 14
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IDOE 2024 School Food Service Employee of the Year Nominations Due
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Thursday, February 15, 2 to 3 p.m. ET
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Savory Breakfast Ideas
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Thursday, February 29, 2 to 3 p.m. ET
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Breakfast in the Classroom
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Monday, April 29
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Summer EBT Final Rule Comments Due
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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