Wednesday, October 18, 2023
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
Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Apply for Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards
Celebrate the amazing work of your school nutrition program by applying for a Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award! There are eight recognition award categories to select from that can highlight your best practices and provide an opportunity to receive national and local recognition.
Spanish Offer versus Serve Materials
Team Nutrition’s Offer Versus Serve (OVS) Materials are now available in Spanish! Check out the five posters and two tip sheets available for download. The posters are designed as signage to educate students in selecting a reimbursable meal under OVS and help students move more quickly through breakfast and lunch lines. The OVS Tip Sheets are designed for school nutrition professionals to provide an overview of OVS guidance for breakfast and lunch meal service.
Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs Training Modules
Check out two new training modules on the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG)! These modules join three existing ones and are designed to provide a step-by-step tour through the FBG Web-Based Tool and Mobile App and now include modules on the Exhibit A Grains Tool and the FBG Calculator.
These modules and other trainings can be accessed on the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs: Training Resources and are also available on the Institute of Child Nutrition’s iLearn Portal.
Produce Safety University Self-Nomination
Nominees have been selected for the State of Wisconsin. If you are still interested but weren’t selected to attend, you still have the ability to self-nominate.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), invites you to Submit Your Nomination for the 2024 Produce Safety University (PSU) program. FNS, in collaboration with the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, will host six PSU sessions: one virtual and five in-person during March, April, May, and June.
PSU is an experiential learning program offered by FNS that immerses child nutrition professionals in the fresh produce supply chain and provides them with tools and knowledge to address real life scenarios, critically analyze and respond to food safety issues, and teach others critical produce safety concepts and practices.
PSU participants learn to identify and manage food safety risks associated with fresh produce whether purchased from farmers or distributors, received whole or fresh-cut, or grown in a school garden.
All nominees will be considered for PSU based on their active role in training school nutrition staff at the district level and/or their responsibility for fresh produce procurement. PSU participants will be expected and encouraged to teach others about produce safety using the training materials provided through PSU.
To be considered for selection, each nominee is required to submit an Electronic Nomination Form by November 10, 2023.
Questions can be directed to the PSU team at producesafetyuniversity@usda.gov.
Updates from the DPI School Nutrition Team
Supply Chain Assistance (SCA) Funds Interest Survey
On October 12, all Authorized Representatives, as listed on the School Nutrition Online Contract, received an email with a unique Qualtrics link to complete the Supply Chain Assistance Round 4 Interest Survey. The survey is due Wednesday, October 25 and must be completed by the Authorized Representative.
For more information about the Supply Chain Assistance Funds, please reference the Supply Chain Assistance Funds In a Nutshell and the Notification of the Fourth Allocation of SCA Funds. Please note that although these funds do not need to be accounted for separately, your SFA must track their spending. The DPI SNT has created an optional Template for this purpose.
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Jill K. Underly, PhD, State Superintendent
125 S Webster Street
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-3390 • (800) 441-4563