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NSBW Theme: The Quest for School Breakfast
March 2-6 is National School Breakfast Week (NSBW). Let your students take a quest through the breakfast line, selecting the nutritious items that make a winning meal to fuel their adventures.
We hope you take the time to celebrate this fun week in March to promote the School Breakfast Program that you offer in your schools.
Find out more information at the SNA NSBW website.
The NSBW shop is open! Find posters, stickers, student give aways, decorations, themed t-shirts, and more.
Good news for milk lovers! The USDA has rolled out new guidance on the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025, and it’s shaking up what schools can serve at lunch. Here’s what you need to know:
What’s Changing?
Starting now, schools in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) can offer:
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Whole milk is back! Plus 2%, 1%, skim, and lactose-free options.
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Flavored milk is allowed—as long as it stays under 10g added sugar per 8 oz.
- You still need two milk choices every day, and at least one must be unflavored.
Important: These changes apply only to lunch. Breakfast, snacks, CACFP, and summer meals stick with the old rules—only 1% and skim (no fat) milk may be offered.
Nutrition Notes
- Saturated fat from milk won’t count toward your weekly average for lunch—but it still does at breakfast.
- Calories, sodium, and added sugar rules stay the same (added sugar limits kick in July 2027).
Milk Substitutes Made Easier
Want to offer soy milk or another non-dairy option to all students? Go for it!
- No need to notify NDDPI if it’s available to everyone.
- No parent note is required for non-disability preferences if the non-dairy option is available to all.
- Make sure substitutes meet USDA nutrition and FDA fortification standards. Find those requirements at 7 CFR 210.10(d)(2)(ii)
For Disability Requests
- Parents and guardians can now submit written requests for milk substitutes that don’t meet USDA standards—no doctor’s note is required.
Things to Think About
- Talk to your dairy distributor about what’s available.
- Review contracts—do they need updates?
- Make sure your nutrient analysis software reflects the new saturated fat rule.
Reminder: Breakfast and snack milk rules haven’t changed—still two choices (1%, skim, lactose-free), and one must be unflavored.
Read the complete USDA Memo SP 01-2026 on the CNFD website under “Updates”.
Questions? Contact dpicnfd@nd.gov for guidance.
Every year, each district with more than one site must perform an on-site review of meal counting, claiming process and other observable general areas of the program to ensure integrity and accountability of the programs. This is to be completed by Feb. 1. Please keep your completed onsite review with the rest of the program documents for the year so that when the administrative review comes up, you can upload your completed document into the review software. Please do not send us your copies until they are requested in the review!
However, several copies we have received have raised a concern:, some forms marked questions as "No." If any line item is answered as "No," there should be ‘corrective action’ implemented and a date set for a second visit within 45 days to ensure that the corrective action was successful in resolving the issue.
The on-site review template includes small spaces above the signature lines for documenting corrective actions and follow-up visits. If more space is needed, attach an additional sheet to your report.
Why is this important? A “No” isn’t just a checkbox—it signals a compliance gap that must be addressed promptly to protect program integrity.
If you plan to purchase equipment costing more than $10,000, the purchase must be pre-approved by NDDPI—unless the item is listed on our Pre-Approved Equipment List. You can find the complete list on pages 148-150 of the Administrative Records book.
What happens if you purchase equipment over $10,000 that is not on the pre-approved list and you haven’t requested approval from NDDPI? School foodservice funds cannot be used for that purchase. If this is discovered during a review, the full purchase price must be reimbursed to the school foodservice account from a non-federal source.
To request approval, please email dpicnfd@nd.gov with the type of equipment proposed for purchase, how it will be used in the school meal programs and the estimated cost to purchase. We will review and research the purchase before responding with approval or non-approval.
If approval is granted, the procurement process can start as purchases over $10,000 will need at least a small purchase procurement. Keep all documentation of the purchase, including the approval notice for three years plus the current year.
If you have any questions or need clarification, please reach out—we’re here to help!
USDA has archived their webpage of free and reduced meal applications translated into 49 different languages. It is currently unknown whether the translated applications will be updated and available next school year.
Our office has the translated meal applications and parent instructions downloaded. We also have USDA’s nondiscrimination statement translated into many of North Dakota’s top languages other than English.
The meal application is available in the following languages: Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Bengali, Bosnian, Burmese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Croatian, Farsi, French, Greek, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Hmong, Igbo, Ilokano, Iu Mien, Jamaican Creole, Japanese, Karen, Khmer, Korean, Kru Bassa, Kurdish, Laotian, Marshallese, Nepali, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Sudanese Arabic, Tagalog, Thai, Tigrinya, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Yiddish, Yoruba
To request translated meal applications for families with limited English proficiency, please contact Child Nutrition and Food Distribution.
NDDPI-CNFD was alerted in January that USDA has updated the Product Formulation Statement tool in the USDA Food Buying Guide to make it easier for manufacturers to calculate how their product credits to our menus. USDA also updated its “Tips for Evaluating a Manufacturer’s Product Formulation statement” to help you as the operator review and use that documentation.
Remember, you are looking for the following on a valid PFS:
- The company’s letterhead
- A company representative has signed it
- The product name, code number, and serving or portion size
- Creditable ingredients match the ingredients listed on the product label
- Creditable ingredients match or are similar to the description in the USDA Food Buying Guide
- The manufacturer's calculations are correct
- The total creditable amount is rounded down, not rounded up
Find the latest information on PFS and Child Nutrition (CN) labels on the USDA website: Child Nutrition Programs: Tips for Evaluating a Manufacturer's Product Formulation Statement | Food and Nutrition Service
Minnesota has seen its share of scandals in social programs—Medicaid billed for fake services, sham autism clinics, and fraudulent meal programs. These cases raise an uncomfortable question: how are school nutrition programs being managed?
Some might dismiss concerns over school food service as trivial compared to multimillion-dollar fraud schemes. But this isn’t just about dollars and cents. Misspending district funds erodes public trust in education. Communities deserve transparency and accountability, not excuses. Leaders must enforce zero-tolerance policies for fraud and abuse, acting swiftly to remove those responsible and restore confidence.
One area demanding attention is employee purchases through school kitchens. Whether it’s kitchen staff or other school employees accessing the food service order guide for personal purchases, this practice is unacceptable for any district. School food service operations should be run like a business—because they are funded by public tax dollars. Every reimbursement dollar comes from taxpayers, and that means food service employees are subject to public scrutiny.
Sponsors are strongly discouraged from allowing employees to buy food or supplies from school vendors for personal use, particularly on the school food bid. Here’s why:
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Conflict of Interest – Employees may feel obligated to maintain business with vendors they personally benefit from.
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Unfair Competition – Local grocers, who pay taxes, lose out when schools act as alternative suppliers.
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Special Benefit – Taxpayers don’t share this privilege, creating inequity.
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Appearance of Theft – Observers may assume items leaving the school were purchased with district funds.
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Unauthorized use of Time, Supplies, and Resources – Even if the school account is reimbursed, the hidden costs add up: staff time to place and receive orders, paperwork, storage, and distribution. These indirect expenses can nickel-and-dime an operation to death.
The bottom line: school nutrition programs must operate with integrity and transparency. Anything less risks taxpayer trust—and the reputation of public education itself.
Did you know that 2 CFR 200.313 under the federal Uniform Guidance requires a physical inventory of property acquired with federal dollars to be conducted at least once every two years. There is an increased risk that funds received for disposal of equipment purchased with federal dollars will not be retained by the program.
This is not an area that your Child Nutrition reviewers would check, however it was a finding on a fiscal audit of the entire school district. The district was unable to provide the list for the auditors and were issued corrective action to implement the process. Hopefully, yours is up to date; if not, add it to the checklist.
Keep your Food Safety Certification Up-to-Date
Please check in ND Foods for at least one staff member at each site serving school meals to have a valid, up-to-date food safety certification. If the certification will expire over the summer months, it would be best to find time now to update the certification, so someone is not scrambling over the summer to get ready for program renewal!
If a new staff member has just come on board, there are two options to complete Food Safety Certification. Please remember to email us the completion certificate!
- "Food Safety in Schools" online course
This free, self-paced course is available at any time through the Institute of Child Nutrition. Training is conducted through six modules and a post-quiz.
ServSafe is hosting another in-person class on March 24, 2026, at the North Dakota Health and Human Services in Bismarck. The training runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT and testing starts immediately after. Registration is due by Feb. 27, 2026.
Finally, if staff are near the 5-year cut off when a 3-hour update is due, there are several options here as well. Please review the CNFD website for options and links.
Think Twice Before Reusing Food Containers
If you’re new to school foodservice, you may not have heard my mantra: “Do as I do in school; not as I do at home.” Truth be told, my home kitchen would never pass a health inspection (I reuse dishcloths, hang them to dry on the sink drainer and I have a cat)! But when it comes to serving students safely, I know the rules that keep food free from microorganisms that may lead to a food borne illness—and one of those is this: never reuse a container that wasn’t designed to be washed and reused for food storage.
The FDA Food Code is clear on this point. Section 4-502.13(A) Single-Service and Single-Use Articles, Use Limitation states that these items may not be reused. That means those sour cream tubs or Mrs. Gerry’s salad containers should never find their way back into your cooler or freezer holding leftovers. If an inspector spots them being used for food storage, you’ll get written up.
So what can you do with those sturdy containers? Repurpose them outside the kitchen! Use them to organize paperclips and pens, donate them to the janitorial team for cleaning solutions, or pass them along to a kindergarten class for craft projects. Just keep them far away from food.
Following this simple rule helps ensure the meals we serve are safe—and keeps your operation in compliance.
Our monthly Across the Desk session—highlighting the Administration of School Meal Programs—taking place on the second Tuesday of each month. Join us for the first Across the Desk of the New Year!
🕒 Time: 2 p.m. CST
February's Theme: Interdepartmental Communication
We’ll look at key communication topics, including:
- The Role of an Auth Rep
- Food Service Management Companies
- Vended Meal Contracts
- Summer-EBT
- Garden Grants
- Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act Update
- 2026 Special ND Legislative Session Update
Your Voice Matters
Have a topic you’d like us to cover? Send it our way or bring your questions to the session. We’re here to support your program with clarity, compliance, and collaboration.
February 2026 Kitchen Counter Conversations: Community Outreach: Shout it Loud and Proud—Using Social Media to Your Advantage
Join us for Kitchen Counter Conversations on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at 2 p.m. CST to learn how social media can be a powerful tool for program promotion.
We’ll break down popular platforms, share practical strategies to increase engagement, and highlight easy-to-use resources from the School Nutrition Association.
You’ll also see real examples from school districts that are successfully connecting with their communities through creative and active social media campaigns.
Don’t miss this chance to gain fresh ideas and inspiration you can use right away!
The Institute of Child Nutrition will host the "What's New at CICN" on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. CST (1 p.m. MST).
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