• Agricultural commodities grown outside of the United States 

• Food products processed in the United States containing 50% or more of agricultural commodities grown outside of the United States 

Nondomestic foods may only be purchased if they meet one of the following exceptions: 

• Exception 1: The product is listed on the Federal Acquisitions Regulations (FAR) Nonavailable articles list and/or is not produced or manufactured in the U.S. in sufficient and reasonably available quantities of a satisfactory quality. 

• Exception 2: Competitive bids reveal the cost of a U.S. product is significantly higher than the non-domestic product. 

All nondomestic food purchases must be tracked using the USDA Exception Log. 

Schools may apply for a temporary accommodation from MDE if they are unable to meet the 10% cap on nondomestic purchases. Products listed on the FAR list count toward the 10% cap. 

As part of the temporary accommodation request, schools will be required to provide: 

• Total annual commercial and non-domestic food costs for School Year 2025-2026 to date 

• A completed USDA Exception Log showing that nondomestic food purchases are greater than 10% of food purchases for the SBP, NSLP, and NSLP After School Snack Program. 

• The school’s plan to meet the 10% purchasing cap requirement  

• Information about the school’s nondomestic food purchases  

The temporary accommodation process will open in July and will be announced in a bulletin at that time. Ensure that you coordinate with others in your School Food Authority (SFA) as applicable so that duplicate requests are not submitted.  Accommodations will be granted for the specific foods and duration listed in the SFA’s plan. Blanket requests for all food items will not be approved.  

Refer to the recommendations for decreasing nondomestic food purchases in the February 10, 2025, bulletin. 

New Recorded Trainings Available: Strategies to Advance School Nutrition 

The Minnesota Department of Education recently released four new recorded trainings, including:  

•  Foundational Strategies for a Healthy School Environment  

•  School Nutrition Menu Planning Strategies  

•  Intro to Farm to School Strategies 

•  Strategies to Communicate and Connect with Families.  

Participants who review the video, completed the participant worksheet, and pass the knowledge check quiz will receive 30 minutes of Professional Standards credit for each topic. Spanish versions of the trainings will be available soon. Visit the Training Resources drawer on the Training and Professional Standards page to view the trainings.  

Reminder: Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Application Deadline 

CEP applications for School Year 2025–26 are due by June 30, 2025. 

• Minnesota Free School Meals Program requires schools with an Identified Student Percentage (ISP) ≥ (greater than or equal to) 62.5% to participate in CEP. 

• School food authorities and/or schools must have a minimum ISP of 25% as of April 1, 2025, to participate in CEP. 

• CEP application instructions are available on the Minnesota Department of Education CEP webpage. 

Contact cep.mde@state.mn.us if there are questions. 

School Nutrition Programs Basics Training 

The School Nutrition Program (SNP) team at the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) will be offering training at 5 locations across the state this summer on the basics of operating the School Nutrition Programs. Individuals who are new to operating the SNPs or those who would like a refresher are invited to attend. Training is open to 1 attendee per School Food Authority.  

View Agenda and Register for School Nutrition Programs Basics Training. 

Dates/Locations: 

Rochester – Southeast Service Cooperative – Tuesday, August 12 

Fergus Falls – Lakes Country Service Cooperative – Tuesday, August 19 

Mountain Iron – Northeast Service Cooperative – Tuesday, August 19 

Minneapolis – Minnesota Department of Education – Wednesday, August 20 

Marshall – Southwest West Central Service Cooperative – Tuesday, August 26 

Location registrations will close as capacities are reached. If you need to cancel your registration, return to the survey via the confirmation email link to cancel as soon as possible so seats may be opened up for others. Once capacities are reached, you may choose to be placed on a waitlist within the survey. Open seats will be filled in order of waitlist submissions received and waitlist attendees will be notified at least 48 hours prior to the training.  

Reasonable accommodations must be requested at least two weeks in advance of a training by emailing mde.fns@state.mn.us.