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OSPI Offers Exemptions to BAB Requirements For:
- Schools with free and reduced-price School Breakfast Program (SBP) participation that is at least 70% of their free and reduced-price National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participation based off October 2024 data.
- Alternative schools where implementing BAB would create an undue hardship.
Exemption requests for SY 2025–26 must be submitted by May 9, 2025.
The 2024–25 Area Eligibility Report is now available. This report has been updated as of February 28, 2025.
This report may be used to establish area eligibility for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), and the Afterschool Snack Program (ASP). Area eligibility may be assigned if school data indicates that the proposed meal site is located in an attendance area of a public school where at least 50% of the children are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.
The Area Eligibility in Child Nutrition Program Reference Sheet provides more details on area eligibility.
Data from this report is also used to determine eligibility for the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program (FFVP), House Bill (HB) 1238 – Meals for Washington Students, and Breakfast After the Bell (BAB).
Questions? Contact your School Meals Program Specialist or email SchoolMeals@k12.wa.us.
The USDA released SP 09-2025: Buy American Accommodation Process for SY 2025-26 to provide guidance on the accommodation process for school food authorities (SFAs) that cannot meet the 10% non-domestic food purchase threshold outlined in 7 CFR 210.21(d)(8) and 7 CFR 220.16(d)(8) for SY 2025–2026.
This temporary relief allows SFAs to exceed the 10% threshold if they qualify under one or more regulatory exceptions.
OSPI will provide information on how to request an accommodation to the non-domestic food purchase limit with the SY 2025–26 NSLP/SBP Renewal Application Process. Monitor CNS C.A.R.E Updates and Monthly Webinars for more details.
The Washington State Auditor conducted a Child Nutrition Performance Audit to study lunchtime scheduling practices. The audit recommended that OPSI consider requiring schools to provide students with adequate seated time to eat, as well as encourage and facilitate the best practice of offering recess before lunch. As part of the rulemaking process, OSPI held a public hearing, and reviewed and considered public comments to determine the final rule language.
WAC 392-157-125 will be revised as follows:
Time for meals. (1) School mealtime. School breakfast and school lunch periods must allow a reasonable amount of time for each child to take care of personal hygiene and enjoy a complete meal. (2) Lunch Duration for Grades K–5: Beginning in the 2029–30 school year, schools must provide students in grades K through 5 with the opportunity to eat lunch for a minimum of 20 minutes, once the students have received their food through the meal service line.
To assist program operators with implementation, OSPI will create a Seated Lunchtime Toolkit which will include strategies, resources, and guidance around how to reach this important goal.
Resources:
CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program Reviews: Complete twice annually. The first review must occur within the first four weeks of program operation. Use this updated At-Risk Review form.
The USDA Final Rule:Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans changes are coming in SY 2025–2026. Are you and your staff ready? Join OSPI trainers, program specialists, and your colleagues in this interactive workshop where you'll
- clarify complexities,
- break down barriers,
- work through real life examples,
- look at a different key area of the Final Rule, and
- use hands-on activities to practice key concepts.
You'll leave this train-the-trainer workshop with practical training tools and the confidence to share these important changes with your team.
This training is appropriate for program directors, supervisors, lead staff, and others responsible for training Child Nutrition Program staff.
Join us for Empower Your Team: Mastering the USDA School Meal Program Final Rule.
Did you know that School Districts and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations administering USDA federal nutrition programs can use certain Washington State Department of Enterprise Services (DES) Statewide contracts without having to go out to bid?
DES has several statewide contracts where procurement was conducted to maximize full and open competition consistent with federal procurement standards as outlined in SP-05-2017 and 2 CFR 200. With these statewide contracts, DES has done the work of competitive procurement for you. Suspension and debarment guidance outlined in 2 CFR Part 180 must still be followed.
The following statewide contracts include federal contract language:
Entities must complete a contract usage agreement with DES prior to utilizing these contracts. Visit the DES website to learn how to sign up and use statewide contracts.
Please note, third-party entities such as Food Service Management Companies (FSMC) are not eligible to utilize these statewide contracts.
Questions? Contact:
Freshly frozen, locally harvested, sustainable wild-caught Coho salmon fillets (formerly LFS010) are now fully subsidized at no cost for the remainder of SY 2024–25. This subsidy ensures that schools can continue to serve high-quality, nutritious seafood without incurring any extra expenses.
There is still surplus Coho Salmon available for March orders, even though it was previously advertised as fully subsidized. Sponsors interested in claiming this product should act soon while quantities remain.
The next surplus order window is March 13–14, 2025 for April orders. This subsidy will remain in effect for the rest of SY24–25.
Product Details
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Description: Frozen Coho Salmon Fillets – skin on, boneless
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LFS Code: LFS055
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Producer: Muckleshoot Seafood Products
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Packaging: Approximately 17 packages per case (each package weighs about 1.75 lbs.), with a total case weight of roughly 30 lbs.
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Yield: One 1.75-lb. fillet yields about 22 portions (each portion is 1.26 oz. raw weight, which cooks down to 1 oz. equivalent of meat)
Details and nutritional information are found on the LFS fact sheets page. Updated fact sheets for SY25–26 will be available soon.
We encourage all participating sponsors to seize this opportunity to enhance menus with locally sourced, sustainable, high-quality wild-caught salmon—a nutritious choice and an important traditional Indigenous food.
Questions? Contact the Farm 2 CNP team or the Food Distribution team.
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