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School Nutrition Bulletin 2122-42 ACTION REQUIRED

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Announcements from the WI DPI School Nutrition Team (SNT)

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

USDA Summer 2022 and School Year 2022-23 Waivers
 

IMPORTANT NOTE: USDA expects that flexibilities under the waivers will only be implemented by Program operators when congregate meal service is limited by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of USDA’s Transitioning to Normal Child Nutrition Operations, USDA announced waiver opportunities for Summer 2022 and school year (SY) 2022-23. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has identified options for the best path forward for the transition back to normal operations. We appreciate your patience as WI DPI explored options.

Even though USDA does not have nationwide waiver authority, States and sponsors can still submit individual waiver requests, as needed, through USDA’s 12(l) authority, using the process described in SP 15-2018 CACFP 12-2018 SFSP 05-2018, Child Nutrition Program Waiver Request Guidance and Protocol- Revised. In order to facilitate this process, FNS has developed a streamlined approach through which State Agencies are able to request some or all of the available waivers through one combined 12(l) waiver request.
 

Available waivers through the 12(l) process include:
 

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO)

  • Non-Congregate Meal Service during Summer 2022
  • Parent/Guardian Meal Pickup during Summer 2022

National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP)

  • Non-Congregate Meal Service
  • Parent/Guardian Meal Pickup
  • Meal Service Times
  • Offer Versus Serve

School Year Administration (NSLP/SBP/SFSP)

  • Local School Wellness Policy Triennial Assessment
  • Food Service Management Company (FSMC) Contract Duration
  • Administrative Review Onsite Requirements
  • Onsite Requirement for SFA Onsite Reviews by February 1
  • Onsite Requirement for Afterschool Care Reviews
  • Onsite Requirement for Periodic Onsite Visits when Utilizing an FSMC

Reporting Requirements (NSLP)

  • FNS-875 Second (Independent) Review of Applications
  • FNS-640 Administrative Review Data Report

Special Milk Program (SMP)

  • Non-Congregate Milk Service
  • Parent/Guardian Milk Pickup

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)

  • Parent/Guardian FFVP Pickup
  • Alternate Site

Unanticipated School Closures (SFSP and SSO during unanticipated school closures only)

  • Non-Congregate Meal Service during Unanticipated School Closures in SY 2022-23
  • Parent/Guardian Meal Pickup during Unanticipated School Closures in SY 2022-23
  • Meal Service Times for Unanticipated School Closures in SY 2022-23
  • Meals at School Sites for Unanticipated School Closures in SY 2022-23

WI DPI’s waiver request has been submitted to USDA. We are applying for all of the waivers except for the Local Wellness Policy Triennial Assessment Waiver and the Food Service Management Company Contract Duration Waiver as a way to ensure waivers are in place in case they are needed. We will have more information on how school food authorities (SFAs) may utilize these waivers for the summer and next school year within a few weeks.
 

Guidance on Universal Free Meals and Snacks
 

Question: Is Universal Free Breakfast an allowable cost to the nonprofit school food service account?
Answer: USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has confirmed that schools are permitted to operate Universal Free Breakfast and that covering the cost of breakfast meals served to students certified for reduced price or paid meals is an allowable use of the nonprofit school food service account.

Statutory and regulatory provisions for paid lunch equity do not apply to meals served under the School Breakfast Program. [USDA supports] a school food authority using funds from the nonprofit school food service account to serve breakfast at no cost to all students, as long as the school food authority has sufficient funds to do so.

Consistent with Question 26 of SP 39-2011 - Revised, schools that choose to operate Universal Free Breakfast must ensure they continue to meet all Program requirements, including the Program meal pattern. Prior to implementing this option, SFAs are advised to conduct a thorough analysis of their current and projected operating costs to ensure that they are able to maintain operations and meal quality without the revenue generated from charging students for paid and reduced price breakfast meals.

Question: Can a school food authority (SFA) offer meals at no charge to students and absorb the cost into the nonprofit school food service account for? Is Universal Free Lunch an allowable cost to the nonprofit school food service account
Answer: Universal Free Lunch is not allowable based on the Paid Lunch Equity requirements.

Reduced price meals may be offered at no cost for SFAs that elect to choose this flexibility, based on guidance issued in SP 17-2014. However, an equivalent flexibility for reducing or eliminating paid lunch prices does not exist. Average paid meal prices may only be reduced in accordance with the pricing paid lunches regulations, specifically, 7 CFR 210.14(e)(5). These regulations outline that the reduction in average paid meal prices require the addition of funds to the nonprofit food service account and prohibit the use of federal sources of revenue to replenish the account.

In relation to using excess fund balances to reduce paid lunch prices, there are three questions that address this in policy memo SP 39-2011 - Revised. Question 13 shares that excess fund balances are still considered part of the nonprofit school food service account and not able to be used to reduce paid prices.

Question: Is Universal Free NSLP Afterschool Snack Program an allowable cost to the nonprofit school food service account
Answer: Subsidizing reduced price and paid snacks is an allowable cost to the nonprofit school food service account. This is because PLE statutory and regulatory requirements only apply to prices for paid lunches and do not apply to the NSLP Afterschool Snack Program. SFAs considering implementing a universal free Afterschool Snack Program should first conduct an analysis of whether universal free snack would be cost-effective, sustainable, and would not compromise the health of the nonprofit school food service account.
 

Creative Collaborations Drive Food Waste Reduction in Colorado Schools

Excerpt from the USDA monthly publication, The Dirt. The Dirt is a monthly publication of USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, Farm to School Program, and provides news and resources for former, current, and future Farm to School grantees, and for all readers who want to know what is new and exciting in farm to school. Subscribe to The Dirt Here.

Did you know that One-third of All Food in the U.S. is wasted instead of eaten? This is not only a waste of food resources; it also has big environmental impacts. Once discarded food waste reaches a landfill, it then becomes a Significant Contributor to greenhouse gases. School districts have an opportunity to make significant strides in reducing food waste in school cafeterias while teaching students lessons on food waste prevention practices.

The School Food Project at the Boulder Valley School District’s (BVSD) food service department, a USDA Fiscal Year 2019 Farm to School Implementation grantee, has tackled food waste reduction and student education with their creative partnerships. “Food waste is a really big problem. Every day Americans waste enough food to fill more than a football stadium,” says BVSD student Annalise Myatt. “We could do a lot better.”

Myatt and other students at Douglass Elementary created a Food Waste Club to raise awareness and work to decrease the amount of food discarded each day at school. The club assessed the waste created in the cafeteria and made a series of posters and tools to inform other students about food waste. The momentum created by Douglass’ Food Waste Club has helped inspire changes to be made across the district’s 56 schools.

District-wide Composting and Eco-Cycle Partnership: BVSD school cafeterias have compost, recycle, and trash receptacles for students to separate their waste streams. This has contributed to the district’s ability to hit its goal of 50% waste diversion in schools. Community partner and nonprofit Eco-Cycle is an integral part of the district’s programs, providing compost pick up at most schools and programmatic support through educational events at their Green Star Schools.

Hands-on Programs with AmeriCorps Member Support: This school year is the first time the School Food Project has hosted an AmeriCorps member through an Environmental Education Program. This new position allows a full-time service member to dedicate their time to hands-on programming with BSVD students in the cafeteria and after-school environmental clubs. “Students care deeply about food waste and its impact on the environment. They want to help create a solution that works in their schools,” says Miriam Holleb, the current AmeriCorps Service Member through the Colorado Alliance of Environmental Education. “I’m inspired by the sense of urgency which is driving students to grapple with these issues, whether they are in elementary or high school.”

LeanPath Food Waste Tracking: Since 2017, the School Food Project has begun installing LeanPath Food Waste Tracking Systems in their production kitchens as well ten school cafeterias. LeanPath systems track both pre- and post-consumer waste in various parts of our operation and provide real-time feedback to those generating the waste.

This equipment provides data about what is being composted in the district’s kitchen and cafeterias, which all together prepare and serve nearly 15,000 scratch-cooked meals daily. Tracking trimmings to overproduction, the School Food Project has a better idea of where food is being wasted and how to make improvements in waste reduction throughout the production process. These program improvements allow them to reinvest the cost savings into procurement efforts and offer higher quality school meals to the district’s 30,000 students.

Reducing Other Cafeteria Waste: The School Food Project has made significant improvements to its daily operations to reduce overall cafeteria waste. They have introduced reusable trays, cups, and silverware in all school cafeterias; purchase local milk in bulk containers; introduced reusable plastic containers (RPCs) for the delivery of local produce, chicken, and beef products; and supported comprehensive recycling and composting programs in all school cafeterias.

For more information and classroom resources from the School Food Project.
 

Updates from the DPI School Nutrition Team
 

ACTION REQUIRED BY JUNE 10: SY 2022-23 School Meals Programs Online Contract Renewal

All SFAs participating in any combination of USDA child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Afterschool Snack Program (ASP), Seamless Summer Option (SSO), Special Milk Program (SMP), and Wisconsin School Day Milk Program (WSDMP) must renew their contracts online each year. The SY 2022-23 contract includes program operations between July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023.

Authorized Representatives and Food Service Directors received an email this morning with details about the contract renewal process. You may also consult the SNT Contracts webpage for more information.
 

School Nutrition Accountability Software (SNACS) Demonstration

Are you interested in learning more about the free school nutrition software solution SNACS?

DPI SNT invites you to join us for a live demo of SNACS on Wednesday, May 11 from 2-3:00 PM.

During this demo we will highlight the following features of SNACS:

  • Processing Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications
  • Online Free and Reduced Price Meal Application
  • Direct Certification
  • Verification
  • Student Management
  • Administrative Reviews

We will also answer questions about SNACS and how to access the software. Please Register Here! We look forward to sharing all SNACS has to offer with you!

Other Updates and Information

No Kid Hungry Toolkit: Communicating Summer Meals 2022 Operation Changes

The No Kid Hungry campaign, run by Share Our Strength, has created a Summer 2022 Communications Toolkit to help you communicate summer meal program changes to families. It includes two sections of customizable content - one for providers changing (but still operating) a summer meals program and one for providers ceasing summer meal operations.  This toolkit is available in both English and Spanish. Template communications for the 2022-23 school year will be provided later.

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Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Jill K. Underly, PhD, State Superintendent
125 S Webster Street
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-3390 • (800) 441-4563