Nutrition Program Bulletin – Week of September 13, 2021

Minnesota Department of Education sent this bulletin at 09/16/2021 02:12 PM CDT
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Nutrition Program Bulletin – Week of September 13, 2021

Each section contains updates relevant to those nutrition programs. You can jump to the section by clicking the link.

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

Guidance for Non-School Sponsors of At-Risk Afterschool Meals Programs for Fall 2021 

The Fall 2021 At-Risk Guidance for Non-School Sponsors and Sites summarizes the flexibilities and requirements for operating the At-Risk Afterschool Meal program during the 2021-22 school year.  

Key points to note: 

  • U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidance encourages at-risk centers to transition from virtual programming as schools re-open for in-person learning. 
  • The school year (SY) 2021-22 non-congregate waiver is not an extension of previous waivers; it is a new waiver to be used only for the duration and extent needed.                 
  • At-risk afterschool care centers that began CACFP during the 2020 and 2021 school years and offered only virtual enrichment programs were allowed to operate due to the COVID-19 circumstances, but may not qualify as an at-risk afterschool care center based on the definition and program requirements. These centers will need to work toward in-person care programs in order to be a sustainable at-risk center. 
  • Each at-risk afterschool care center must have an approved CACFP site application in the Cyber-Linked Interactive Child Nutrition System (CLiCS) to offer meals and/or snacks. 

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School Nutrition Programs (SNP)

Meal Application Verification Required 

School Food Authorities (SFAs) that collect Applications for Educational Benefits for school year (SY) 2021-22 are required to conduct verification. Keep in mind: 

  • Verification begins October 1, should be completed by November 15 and results reported in the Cyber-Linked Interactive Child Nutrition System (CLiCS) by December 1.  
  • Webinars will be presented on September 28 and October 12 at 2 p.m. Registration information is available at Tuesdays @ 2 School Nutrition Webinar Schedule August-December 2021. 
  • Since not all school food authorities (SFAs) were able to report verification results in CLiCS for SY 2020-21, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) does not have the data necessary to determine SFAs required to use the standard (3% error-prone) sampling method.
  • SFAs will be required to make the calculation and must choose the standard method if the non-response rate from the previous year is 20% or greater. 

Whole Grain Rich Items 

Meal pattern requirements for School Nutrition Programs, including the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), require all grains to be “whole grain rich” (WGR) meaning 50% or more of the grain in a food item is whole grain. There are two common misunderstandings of this requirement: 

  1. A product does not need to be labeled 100% whole grain.
  2. A product labeled simply whole grain may or may not meet the WGR requirement. Please review the ingredient label. If a whole grain is listed as the first ingredient and the remaining grain is enriched, then the food item meets the WGR requirement.  

Tuesdays @ 2 Webinars  

Join school nutrition staff for a training webinar Tuesdays at 2 p.m. Read session descriptions and register for school year 2021-22 Tuesdays @ 2 webinars. 

  • Celebrate Farm to School (September 21, 2021) 
  • Verification 101 for School Nutrition Programs (September 28, 2021) 
  • Financial Integrity for School Nutrition Programs (October 5, 2021) 

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Opportunities from Our Partners

Five Ways to Highlight Milk on School Menus

Team Nutrition recently provided a new resource with five quick tips to help school operators encourage students to select milk as part of their reimbursable meals. 

Celebrate Farm to School and Early Care

October is Farm to School and Early Care month. The Minnesota Farm to School Month website has resources and ideas for celebrating.  

Agriculture, Growth, Research and Innovation (AGRI) Farm to School Grants

AGRI Farm to School Grants support Minnesota school districts that want to purchase and serve Minnesota agricultural products. 

In fiscal year 2022, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) anticipates awarding up to $748,000 to reimburse school districts for purchasing Minnesota-grown and raised foods used in school meal programs. School districts may apply for one of two grants:

  • Farm to School First Bite Mini Grant provides funding intended to be a learning process for those with little or no experience with local procurement as part of a Farm to School program. 
  • Farm to School Full Tray Grant provides funding for those with some Farm to School experience using a formula based on meals served in October 2019. 

Along with either grant above, applicants may also apply for: 

  • Equipment Grants – provides up to $25,000 to purchase equipment which must include a 1:1 cash match and support Farm to School initiatives. 

Please direct questions to Emily Mehr. 

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