School Nutrition Programs

This weekly newsletter from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) is dedicated to providing education, training, and technical assistance opportunities to school nutrition professionals, helping to ensure seamless operations for those participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA's) Child Nutrition Programs. If you are the food service contact for your school or facility, please be certain that everyone on your team has access to this important information.

Tip of the Week

Smart Snacks

IDOE has created a Smart Snacks Cheat Sheet for use in food sales. Common findings related to Smart Snacks include: 

• “Side” items are sold a la carte, but are not compliant. 
• For example, a breadstick is sold with spaghetti and meat sauce as part of the daily entree, but the breadstick is also sold on its own. The breadstick must meet Smart Snacks guidelines to be sold as a single item. 
• Vending machines and school stores sell items that are not compliant. All areas of the school campus are subject to Smart Snacks guidelines. Items that are non-compliant cannot be sold from midnight until 30 minutes after school dismisses.
• There are more than two non-exempt fundraisers per building per school year. Schools must have a process in place to ensure each building meets the required limit. One day of sales equals one non-exempt fundraiser.

Important Updates

State Match Funds

June 2023 state match funds have been disbursed. Federal regulations require State Agencies to contribute state matching funds to school food authorities (SFAs) on the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). USDA determines the amount states must distribute and each state chooses how to distribute the funds among schools. Indiana distributes the money based on the amount of paid meals served. This is a fair share based on the number of paid meals at each SFA, compared to all paid meals in the state. Sponsors should treat state match funds like other school nutrition federal funds, but SFAs can decide how they distribute the funds among their programs. Learn more here.

Team Nutrition (TN) Grant Training Update

Frontline staff members who have completed eight hours of TN grant training in Moodle should submit their information via the 2023 TN Training Completion Form. An email from teamnutritionin@doe.in.gov will be sent following form submission with information regarding additional requirements to receive your monetary incentive. The Central Indiana Education Services Center (CIESC) will distribute payments to individuals. Note that it may take a month to receive the payment. As a reminder, managers, directors, and assistant directors should be taking the courses in the Director and Manager tile on Moodle. This includes 40 hours of training resulting in a $500 monetary incentive to the first 250 managers and 250 directors. Please keep in mind that all 40 hours of courses have not been released for managers and directors. This means that only frontline staff should be submitting the training completion form to IDOE at this time. Five and a half hours of Components and Dietary Specifications training were released this week. Read through the frequently-asked questions (FAQs) and contact the TN Training Grant team with any questions. 

USDA Foods

Annual Pre-order Survey

The Annual Pre-Order Forecast Survey is open Monday, January 29, through Friday, March 1. This survey is mandatory for all schools that will receive USDA Foods for the 2024-2025 school year. The Annual Pre-Order Forecast Survey training will be held on Wednesday, February 7, from 10 to 11 a.m. ET. Refer to the following information to join this training:

• Join the Microsoft Teams Meeting:
• Meeting ID: 279-767-622-757
• Passcode: APBDnl
• Join the training via phone at (317) 552-1674:
• Passcode: 8261172#

Expire Dates and Close Dates

As a reminder, 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, rather it is the latest date USDA Foods can remain at the state assigned warehouse (Dilgard Frozen Foods, Stanz-Troyers Foodservice or Wabash Foods) before excess storage fees are assessed. There 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. Learn more here.

USDA Foods Recipes  The Institute of Child Nutrition’s Recipe Box Tuscan Grilled Cheese Sandwich recipe is a fun, easy way to add veggies into your menu, and a good way to use up some of your USDA mozzarella cheese.

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.

Training and Webinar Opportunities

School Breakfast Week Preparation Webinars Register for Culinary Skills for A+ School Meals virtual training opportunities and register for IDOE's Breakfast Best Practices webinar on Thursday, February 22.

February Information Sessions Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Info Session - Learn the ins and outs of operating under the Community Eligibility Provision. Monday, February 5, at 10 a.m. ET. Summer Meal Program Options - Learn about meal service options when school is out, and decide which program would be best for your school. Wednesday, February 7, at 2 p.m. ET.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) Info Session - Learn what FFVP is and how to operate the program before the application for school year 2024-2025 opens in March. Tuesday, February 13, at 2 p.m. ET.

After School Snack and Meal Options - Learn what programs can be offered to your students after school. The webinar will discuss the After School Snack Program and At-Risk Snacks and Meals through CACFP. Thursday, February 15, at 10 a.m. ET.

Reminders

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:

• 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.

Updates from Our Partners

Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) January STAR Webinar

STAR - Strategies for Planning Inclusive and Safe School Meals will be held Thursday, January 25, at 3 p.m. ET. This webinar will share insights and actionable strategies to effectively accommodate students with dietary restrictions participating in school nutrition programs. Topics will include the importance of accurately identifying the difference between food allergies and food intolerances, as well as best practices for preparing allergy-friendly meals to emphasize the importance of following established protocols and minimize allergen exposure. Register here.

Upcoming Dates

Additional Resources

• School Nutrition Programs Calendar
• IDOE's Nutrition webpage
• CNPweb

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