Food establishments will be required to have at least one employee with a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certificate starting on March 1, 2023, per WAC 246-215-02107.
This includes unlicensed facilities such as Local Education Agencies (LEAs) & community based At-Risk centers, nonresidential adult care facilities, and emergency shelters.
Facilities that are licensed (DCYF, Military, or Tribal) are exempt from this requirement.
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The CFPM’s responsibilities include training managers and staff, implementing a food safety program, and ensuring food safety requirements and procedures are followed. A CFPM is not required to be employed at each site. One employee may be the CFPM for all sites within an organization (such as the Food Service Director). If the CFPM leaves employment, a new CFPM must be on staff within 60 days.
The CFPM certificate must be obtained through an ANSI accredited organization. You can view a list of accredited organizations that issue food protection manager certifications on the Washington Department of Health’s (DOH) website. National Restaurant Association ServSafe, Food Protection Manager Training meets the CPFM certification requirements.
Resources:
Program operators offering the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) during the 22–23 School Year are encouraged to join us for monthly webinars! OSPI CNS will discuss annual program requirements, new policy guidance, important reminders, and provide an opportunity for you to ask questions on the first Thursday of every month.
March’s webinar will focus on the new USDA Child Nutrition Programs Proposed Rule, Breakfast After the Bell (BAB), and Local Wellness Policy Triennial Assessments!
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Register for the School Meal Programs Monthly webinars here!
Dates: Monthly through June 2023
Time: 2–3pm PT
Please note: You only have to register once and you will receive updates and reminders for each webinar.
Reminders
- Save us on your calendar! When you register, there is an option to add us to your calendar at the bottom of the confirmation email.
- A reminder email with your link to log into the webinar is sent 1 hour before the session starts.
- Follow up emails with a copy of the slides are sent to everyone registered for the session, even if they did not attend.
- We do not post recordings to the CNS webpages.
- Please keep an eye out in your inbox for these emails, if you do not see them in your inbox please check your SPAM box.
The second round of USDA Supply Chain Assistance Funds (SCA) funds were issued at the end of January. We anticipate the third round of SCA funds to be issued in August 2023, for utilization in SY 2023-24.
SCA funds must be used to purchase domestic, unprocessed, or minimally processed food products for the school meal programs. Labor, supplies, equipment, and administrative expenses are not allowable uses of these funds. SCA details and background information can be found in OSPI Bulletin No. 051-22.
Join Us for Office Hours!
Join OSPI CNS for Office Hours! During this time we will discuss best practices for using these funds and answer your questions!
Register for the SCA Funds Office Hours Here
Date: Wednesday, March 8
Time: 3–4 pm PT
These sessions will be held monthly! Join us on the second Wednesday of the month from 3–4 pm PT!
Office Hour Questions? Please reach out to Nichole Garden, Farm to Child Nutrition Program Specialist.
The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is organizing listening sessions related to the USDA’s proposed rule for child nutrition program standards.
NFSN is especially looking for school food service staff to speak on how feasible these rules would be to implement.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its proposed rule for child nutrition program standards and is accepting comments through April 10, 2023. A chart outlining the proposed changes is here; Read the full proposed rule here.
What's Below (Summary of actions you can take): If you can’t attend a listening session, we created a survey that you can take instead.
Register for Listening Session 2
Date: Monday, February 27, 2023
Time: 1pm PST/4pm EST)
Take the survey if you can't attend a listening session (Due Wednesday, March 1)
Why is this important?
Child nutrition standards must align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) up-to-date guidance on a healthy diet. The USDA is required to make progress towards these guidelines - hence, the child nutrition program standard rules. These rules will directly affect school, after-school, or early care meals.
The current rules in place through next school year were issued in 2022 as temporary, transitional rules. The proposed rules are called durable rules, meaning they will remain in place permanently until the next DGA update, and possibly further if the DGA is not dramatically changed.
How can you help?
NFSN wants to hear from you our partners to help inform our platform. We are gathering partner input for specific rule proposals. See an explainer here for the topics NFSN is seeking feedback on.
FSN is planning a number of additional engagement opportunities for partners between now and the April 10 deadline, so keep an eye out. If you have any questions, contact Karen at karen@farmtoschool.org or David at david@farmtoschool.org
Using “share tables” is an innovative strategy to encourage the consumption of nutritious foods and reduce food waste in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
About Share Tables
Policy Memo SP 41-2016, CACFP 13-2016, SFSP 15-2016 provides information about share tables and gives an overview of the food safety requirements child nutrition program operators must follow when choosing to include share tables in their meal service.
Share tables allow food or beverage items to be reused in a number of ways, depending on the Program’s preference:
- Children may take an additional helping of a food or beverage item from the share table at no cost;
- Food or beverage items left on the share table may be served and claimed for reimbursement during another meal service (i.e., during an afterschool program when leftover from a school lunch); and/or
- Food or beverage items may be donated to a non-profit organization, such as a community food bank, homeless shelter or other non-profit charitable organization (see Memo Policy SP 11-2012, CACFP 05-2012, SFSP 07-2012: Guidance on the Food Donation Program in Child Nutrition Programs)
Reminder that share tables are not for adult consumption or to be used for programs outside of child nutrition, with the exception of food donation outlined in the above policy.
The revised WA state food code also talks about share tables on page 40 of the document.
Questions? Contact your OSPI CNS School Meals Program Specialist.
Standardized recipes are the gold standard for scratch cooking in Child Nutrition Programs. Learn more about recipe development and standardization in this new Moodle online learning module!
Designed with You in Mind!
With short video modules, it is easy to pick up and put down as the demands of the kitchen allow. Short video slides introduce topics such as the components of a standardized recipe and the recipe development process, while in-kitchen videos demonstrate these concepts in a real life setting.
Access the Training Now!
This new training can be found on the Recipe Development Training Moodle course. Please note: you must have a Moodle account to access this training.
This project was funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Team Nutrition Training Grant. Please send any feedback on this training module to Erica Lamson, Team Nutrition Grant Project Director.
Looking for Recipe Ideas?
Looking for some school meal recipe inspiration? Try these recipes developed by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, the Iowa Department of Education, and the Virginia Department of Education through the Fiscal Year 2021 Team Nutrition Training Grant.
Register to attend the first ever regional Farm to School Roadshow: Connecting Local Producers and School Buyers.
Co-hosted by OSPI CNS and WSDA Regional Markets Program, this in-person training and networking event will bring together Washington school nutrition professionals and agricultural producers in an effort to promote and facilitate Farm to School purchasing relationships.
In this one-day, in-person training, school nutrition professionals will attend training sessions focused on procurement and culinary techniques for safe meat preparation, hear from local leaders about successful Farm to School partnerships, and engage in a facilitated producer-buyer networking session. Don't miss this event for building your Farm to School program!
Tuesday, March 21- Northeast Washington ESD 101, Spokane
Tuesday, March 28- Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center, Mount Vernon
Thursday, March 30- Capitol Region ESD 113, Tumwater
All trainings will take place from 8:30 am–4:15 pm PT. Follow the registration link to view the full training agenda.
Deadline to register is March 6, 2023
Questions? Please email the CNS Farm to Child Nutrition Programs team.
National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) starts March 6! How are YOU going to construct the perfect celebration?
This year, the #NSBW23 theme is “Dig in to School Breakfast.” And now is the time to get a head start on promoting your program!
Why should you participate?
Recognizing NSBW in your district or cafeteria helps you:
- Increase student participation in your program.
- Spread the message to parents that you’re serving a healthy, tasty breakfast at school each day.
- Connect with teachers and administrators at your school, and throughout the district, to spread the word that school meals are healthy and delicious.
- Earn media coverage from local papers, blogs, and TV stations.
How can you participate?
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Promote National School Breakfast Week Download SNA's Marketing & PR Resources and Social Media resources to increase awareness of #NSBW23!
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Use the NSBW toolkit to plan your event The NSBW Toolkit has prompts to help you plan your event(s), tips for engaging students, decoration ideas, and more!
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Share the NSBW Activity Sheets during meals The NSBW Activity Sheets include puzzles, coloring pages, and more!
Visit the School Nutrition Association and USDA webpages for ideas and resources
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March 1
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December 2022 60-day Claim Deadline
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March 1-8
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April USDA Foods Orders Open in CNPweb
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March 2
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Monthly Webinar Series | 2-3pm
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March 6-10
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National School Breakfast Week
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March 9-10
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April USDA Foods Surplus Orders Open in CNPweb
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March 13
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Semi-Monthly Newsletter Released
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March 15
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February Claims Due in WINS
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