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

Crediting Information

Before the new school year begins, ensure that crediting information is up to date. 

• Child Nutrition (CN) Labels - Make sure all on file are still valid. You can also review them on the USDA Authorized Labels webpage.
• Standardized Recipes - New equipment? Don’t forget to test your standardized recipes to ensure the same yield as with old equipment.
• Fresh Produce - Updates to the USDA Food Buying Guide are continuous. Make sure you review the items you serve annually for changes. 

Important Updates

Direct Certification (DC) Program Year (PY) 2025 First Match List

The first DC match list in PY 2025 will be delayed until CNPweb PY 2025 is opened. IDOE will use this newsletter to inform sponsors when the first match list is available. Any matches downloaded in PY 2024 in the CNPweb will not be valid for school year (SY) 2024-2025, even if the lists are downloaded after Monday, July 1. 

USDA Listening Session in Boston

States and school food authorities (SFAs) attending the School Nutrition Association (SNA) Annual National Conference in Boston next month are invited to attend the USDA Listening Session on the USDA Foods Processing program on Tuesday, July 16, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. ET in Room 150. USDA is interested in getting stakeholder feedback on the USDA Foods Processing program. These additional USDA Foods presentations will be on Sunday, July 14:

• 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. ET – Apples to Zucchini: Basics of USDA DoD Fresh, Room 104-ABC
• 1 to 2:30 p.m. ET – USDA Foods 201, Room 157-ABC

USDA Foods will also be in Booth 1505 on the exhibit floor, located on USDA Lane.

USDA Foods

Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Orders and Receipting

The last DoD Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program produce orders for SY 2023-2024 must be placed and receipted in the Department of Defense Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Order Receipt System (FFAVORS) by Sunday, June 30, or before leaving for summer break. Schools must spend their FFAVORS funds by Sunday, June 30. Unused they will be lost and they do not carry over to the next school year. 

PY 2025 for USDA Foods

PY 2025 has been hidden until the school year opens in July 2024. IDOE will notify schools via this newsletter when it is available.

USDA Foods Warehouse Clear Out

We have reached the end of SY 2023-2024. It is imperative that school staff is available when your school places a USDA Foods order to ensure that school staff is available to inspect verify, and accept all orders to avoid a missed delivery charge. Schools have until their last available delivery period under the Orders tab in CNPweb to order any direct delivered USDA Foods remaining at the state assigned warehouse, Dilgard Frozen Foods, Stanz-Troyers Foods or Wabash Foods. All USDA Foods for Processing at the processors must be ordered via the distributors. Any USDA Foods for Processing remaining at the processors as of Sunday, June 30, will carry over to the 2024-2025 school year.

USDA Foods Recipes  Use your USDA canned fruit mix for a delicious variation of Super Easy Fruit Cocktail Cobbler Cake and use your frozen strawberries and blueberries in this Rainbow Fruit Water. These recipes can be made with USDA Foods and must be adjusted to meet serving sizes and meal patterns.

Training and Webinar Opportunities

Free and Reduced Training Series

Free and reduced meal benefits processors must be trained annually. The following training series will meet the requirement for processors:

• DC Basics - Tuesday, July 16, and Tuesday, August 6, at 10 a.m. ET.
• Processing Free and Reduced Applications - Wednesday, July 17, and Wednesday, August 7, at 2 p.m. ET. 
• Eligibility Disclosure - Wednesday, July 24, at 2 p.m. ET.
• Verification for Cause - Tuesday, July 30, at 10 a.m. ET.
• Processing Possible DC Matches - Thursday, August 1 at 11 a.m. ET.

Updates from our Partners

Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) Seeks Panelists

ICN would like to collaborate with panelists that have experience in the various topic areas it plans to present throughout 2024. You can find the list of topics in the STAR Webinar Panelist Interest Form. 

Upcoming Dates

Additional Resources

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

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Department News

• 06/11/24 Updates to Indiana GPS Provide Educators and Families with Additional Tools to Improve Outcomes for Students
• 06/05/24 Indiana Leaders Continue Listening to Stakeholder Feedback to Improve the High School Experience