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Spring 2026
USDA Foods in Schools supports USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins' commitment to strengthening strategies that encourage healthy choices, healthy outcomes, and healthy families. USDA Foods support American farmers and provide safe, high quality, 100% American grown, real food, to school districts across the nation.
Supporting Schools During
May Allergy Awareness Month
May is Allergy Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness, strengthening safety practices, and highlighting resources that support students with food allergies. As schools work to protect student health, this is an ideal time to reinforce the need for ongoing training to prevent, recognize, and respond to allergic reactions in school settings.
The Institute of Child Nutrition offers free allergen awareness and food safety training in both virtual and in-person formats. These resources help school nutrition teams support student health and safety. The resources can also support school nutrition professionals in completing annual training with food allergy information, required under the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act (WMFHKA).
To learn more about the WMFHKA, visit the USDA Food and Nutrition Service website. You can also help support school food authorities during Allergy Awareness Month by sharing these free ICN resources, available year-round.
Looking for allergen information for USDA Foods? Check out the USDA Foods Database for up-to-date, vendor specific nutrition, allergen, and ingredient information.
USDA Foods Available List Updates for SY 2026–27
The USDA Foods Available List (FAL) for SY 2026–27 was released in December 2025. There are a few small but important updates to highlight as you plan for the year ahead.
Two items were removed from the FAL:
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100283 – Oranges, Fresh (34–39 lb. case) Removed due to low order volumes. Fresh oranges are still available through the USDA Department of Defense Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program — a great way to keep this popular fruit on your menus.
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110261 – Beef, Fine Ground, 100%, 85/15, LFTB OPT (40 lb. case) Removed due to a lack of vendors able to supply the lean, finely textured beef option (LFTB OPT). A similar offering remains available through 100158 – Beef, Fine Ground, 100%, 85/15, Raw, Frozen (40 lb. case).
Two items were updated for SY 2026-27:
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100365 – Beans, Pinto, Low-Sodium, Canned (6/#10 cans) A commercial kosher certification is now required. This will appear as “(Kosher)” on the FAL.
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110730 – Pork, Pulled, Cooked, Frozen Available only in the 8/5 lb. pack size. The 4/10 lb. option has been discontinued.
FAL Formatting Update
You may notice the FAL has a fresh look this year. The formatting has been updated for improved clarity, but all content and product information remains the same.
If you have questions about any changes to the FAL, contact us at USDAFoods@usda.gov.
Give Pulled Pork Another Look!
We’re excited to share that the USDA Foods pulled pork you know is now better than ever. Many of you told us that the product did not meet your expectations, and thanks to your feedback, improvements have been made to provide a higher quality, more consistent option for school menus.
If you haven’t ordered pulled pork recently — or if you’ve never added it to your menu — this is a great time to give it a try. It’s a versatile protein that works well in a variety of recipes, including BBQ sandwiches, tacos, burritos, nachos, ramen bowls, grain bowls, and baked potatoes. Pulled pork comes in a 5-pound bag and is material code 110730 in WBSCM.
Looking for inspiration? Check out these school tested favorites:
Thank you for continuing to share your feedback with us — it truly helps strengthen the USDA Foods program.
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