School Nutrition Bulletin 2425-11

Announcements from the WI DPI School Nutrition Team (SNT)

• Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• Updates from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) School Nutrition Team

• Other Updates and Information

Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

USDA Policy Memorandum SP 04-2025: Fees for Electronic Payment Services in the School Meal Programs

This memorandum clarifies policy related to fees associated with electronic (online) payments in the school meal programs and ensures students who are determined eligible for free or reduced price meal benefits receive the benefits they qualify for without having to pay additional fees. This guidance applies to school food authorities (SFAs) administering the School Breakfast Program, the National School Lunch Program, and the Special Milk Program.

Effective school year (SY) 2027-28, families with students eligible for free or reduced price meals must not be charged any fees along with the cost of a meal, including fees for using electronic payment services. While this memorandum clarifies prior guidance on this topic by focusing on fees incurred with electronic payments, nothing in this memorandum should be construed to suggest other fees associated with school meals are acceptable. Moreover, SFAs should not construe this memorandum to suggest that fees should be shifted to, or increased for, students paying the full price for meals. This memorandum supersedes SP 02-2015, Online Fees in the School Meal Programs.

This memorandum also offers best practices and strategies for SFAs to ensure that all families are made aware of payment options and to ease the financial burden that electronic payment processing fees impose. Finally, in the Appendix, this memorandum provides several questions and answers related to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) report published in July 2024, Cost of Electronic Payments in K-12 Schools. CFPB’s report highlights average costs and potential risks for families using electronic payment platforms to add money to their child(ren)’s school meal account(s). Families are paying more than $100 million annually for these services and are often unaware of the availability of free methods of making payments for school meals and/or free methods are not meaningfully available to families.

Grant Applications Open for 2025 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program

UDSA is excited to continue its support for local foods in schools by Opening Applications for the 2025 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants. For the first time, USDA is allowing organizations to select the type of Farm to School Grant that best fits their needs by offering three different requests for applications. Each organization can only submit one application for one grant:

• The Implementation Grant ($50,000 to $500,000) supports the establishment or expansion of comprehensive farm to school projects.

• The State Agency Grant ($50,000 to $500,000) helps state-level agencies implement local sourcing and agricultural education activities.

• The Turnkey Grant ($5,000 to $50,000) is for organizations interested in projects related to launching or enhancing farm to school activities; agricultural education; or edible gardens.

Applications are due by January 10, 2025.

K-12 schools nationwide serve meals to about 30 million children every school day. These meals provide critical nutrition to children and the foundation for our nation to have a healthier future. When local foods are incorporated into school meals, it boosts nutrition, strengthens supply chains, and supports farmers and producers across America.

New Resource for Educators: Cultural Foods Photo Gallery-See #WhatsOnMyPlate Today

Check out MyPlate’s new collection of Free Food Photography featuring 100 high resolution images of MyPlate inspired meals representing African; Asian and Pacific Islander; Haitian and Jamaican; Latin American and Hispanic; Mediterranean; Middle Eastern; Native American and Alaskan Native; and Southern cuisines.

MyPlate’s symbol is a simple visual reminder that we can personalize – our plates, bowls, or any other way we eat – to build nutritious and affordable eating habits that fit our food preferences and the cultural foods we all enjoy! Through these new images we bring MyPlate to life to celebrate that variety and diversity. The new food photography helps consumers see themselves in MyPlate with diverse food dishes that reflect everyday meals and snacks from the foodways of 29 cultures in the United States. MyPlate worked closely with vetted cultural experts to ensure authenticity in all aspects of the photos.

Exciting Update: The Latest in the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative

The Center for School and Community Partnerships at Boise State University released a Request for Applications (RFA), as part of the School Food System Transformation Challenge funded by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Initiative.

Round two of Boise State’s Project Supporting Community Agriculture and Local Education System (Project SCALES) sub-grants is open nationwide to all School Food Authorities participating in the National School Lunch Program and food industry partners. Sub-grants up to $1,000,000 are available to support partnerships to improve school meals. Eligible applications must include at least three partners. Applications are due on December 13, 2024.

Potential applicants can learn more about this funding opportunity at the Project Scales Website and more information on the HMI School Food System Transformation Challenge can be found Here!

New USDA Research Released November 2024

2023 Farm to School Census

The "2023 Farm To School Census" collected information on farm to school participation by school food authorities (SFAs) in school year (SY) 2022–23. Every SFA participating in the National School Lunch Program in the 50 states, Washington, DC, and five territories received an online survey asking about the farm to school activities they participated in, details of their participation, and their perspectives on farm to school.

Bringing Local Foods to Students: Achievements and Learnings from Farm to School Grantees

The "Bringing Local Foods To Students: Achievements and Learnings from Farm to School Grantees" report presents findings of the FNS evaluation of the 199 Farm to School grantees in fiscal year (FY) 2018 and FY 2019, highlighting their activities, achievements, and challenges. Grantee project duration varied, but many projects extended through school year 2020-21.

Updates from the DPI School Nutrition Team

2024 Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Year-End Processing Schedule

Due to end of the year holidays, the year-end payment processing schedule changes slightly each year. Please see below for this year’s processing information:

Winter 2025 Training Opportunity: SY 2024-45 Administrative Review and You Virtual Workshop

The DPI SNT will host a virtual Administrative Review & You workshop on Tuesday, January 21, from 1:30-3:30PM. This course provides a comprehensive overview of the Administrative Review (AR), including insights into utilizing the SNACS software. For school food authorities (SFAs) with an AR scheduled this school year, attendance is highly recommended.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to enhance your knowledge on the administrative review process and Register Today!

Check our School Nutrition Team Training Webpage for other opportunities and resources.

Around the World in 80 Trays- Registration Now Open!

Join the School Nutrition Team and schools/districts around the state on a culinary adventure to celebrate the diverse cultures of Wisconsin students! The annual Around the World in 80 Trays event will take place on January 20-24, 2025, and encourages schools to serve a globally inspired dish(es) to students during that week. Take The Pledge to help us reach our goal of 80 SFAs participating and visit the Event Webpage for activities and menu inspiration. New resources, including four new cuisine recipes will be released later this fall.

Other Updates and Information

Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) School Nutrition STAR Webinar Series

Are you interested in participating as a panelist for ICN's School Nutrition STAR Webinar Series? Showcase your school nutrition team’s success and share proven strategies.

The School Nutrition STAR (Strategies, Training, Action Plans, and Resources) Webinars aim to assist in meeting the unique training, technical assistance, and professional development needs of school nutrition professionals. The webinars are designed to provide best practices and goal development to improve program administration and operation.

Apply Here to be an ICN panelist today!

Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) Top Food Trends in K-12 Frequency of Consumption Survey

Your participation is requested. The Institute of Child Nutrition Applied Research Division (ARD) is inviting you to participate in an online research survey to share your knowledge of food trends in K-12 environments. This survey will expound upon recent findings from a Food trends study conducted by ARD to identify the frequency of consumption of the top food trends among students participating in the School Nutrition Program.

Participation in this survey is voluntary, and the survey is anonymous. This survey should take you no more than 15 minutes to complete. If you agree to participate in the survey, the information gathered will be used to improve Child Nutrition Program operations through the development of resources, educational materials, and/or training. There is no risk associated with participating in this survey.