Policy and ARM for NSLP

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Policy Updates and News

Administrator’s Reference Manual (ARM) Update

NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual

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Publication Name	Download	About	Program Name
Complete ARM			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 01. Program Overview			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 02. Program Application & Agreement			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 02a. Meal Pattern Certification			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 03. Civil Rights & Confidentiality			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 04. Eligibility Determination			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 05. Special Provision Options			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 06. Verification of Eligibility			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 07. Breakfast Meals			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 08. Lunch Meals			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 09. Pre-Kindergarten Meals			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 10. Afterschool Snacks & Meals			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 11. Summer Meals			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 12. Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 13. Special Milk Program			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 14. USDA Foods			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 14a. USDA Foods Processing			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 15. Program Integrity			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 16. Financial System			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 16a. Contract Management			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 17. Procurement			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 17a. Procurement Procedures			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 17b. Buy American			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 17c. Cooperative Purchasing			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 18. Food Service Contracts			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 19. Meal Pricing			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 20. Counting & Claiming			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 21. Meal Service			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 22. Competitive Foods			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 23. Food Product Documentation			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 24. Disaster Situations			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 25. Meal Accommodations			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 26. Food Safety			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 27. Professional Standards			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 28. Residential Child Care Centers			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 29. Local Wellness Policy, Stakeholder Engagement			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 30. Records Retention			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Section 31. Administrative & Other Compliance Reviews			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Contact Information			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual
Definitions and Acronyms			NSLP Handbook: Administrator's Reference Manual

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USDA Policy

USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) issues policy memoranda to provide guidance on implementing NSLP. Click here to see these memos on the USDA site.

State and Federal Law Concerning F&N Programs

Smart Snack Product Calculator		Is a food item creditable? Find out with USDA's Food Buying Guide or mobile app

Food Buying Guide—Creditable Contributions

The USDA interactive Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) allows CEs to search creditable food items for food yield information to help determine the specific contribution each food item makes towards a reimbursable meal in all Child Nutrition Programs. It also provides useful tools, such as the Recipe Analysis Workbook and the Product Formulation Statement Workbook. In addition, with yield data for more than 2,100 food items, this guide provides ideas for adding new foods or new versions of familiar foods to your menus. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize that a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains, especially dark green and red/orange vegetables and whole grains, are key elements of a healthful diet.

Contracting entities may also use the following resources to assist in ensuring that meals meet program requirements for reimbursement:

USDA’s Exhibit A: Grain Requirements for Child Nutrition Programs for crediting grains.
The Food Buying Guide Calculator for Child Nutrition Programs, an app-based calculator developed by USDA’s Team Nutrition and the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN), to determine how much of each item to purchase to provide the number of servings needed.

NOTE: Contents of all Food Buying Guide Supplements previously found on this page have been incorporated into the FBG. Requests for copies of archived Food Buying Guide Supplements can be emailed to FNDPolicy@Texasagriculture.gov. In the subject of the email, list the full name of the Food Buying Guide Supplement requested.

Texas School Nutrition Laws

HB 1305—Breakfast Mandate
Starting with School Year 2015-2016, public and charter schools that are mandated to offer breakfast may operate a locally funded breakfast program in lieu of the federally funded School Breakfast Program.

School districts or charter schools may have schools that operate the School Breakfast Program and other schools that operate a locally funded breakfast program. In these cases, the school district or charter school must fully fund its locally funded breakfast program from resources other than the Child Nutrition Program.

Locally funded breakfast programs are eligible for state compensatory funding. Please note state compensatory funding is administered by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

HB 3562—Charge Policy
If a school district allows students to use prepaid meal cards or accounts to purchase school meals, the district must establish a grace period during which a student is able to charge meals after the prepaid funds are exhausted.

The school district must also notify the student’s parent or guardian that the student’s meal card or account balance is exhausted. The district is not allowed to charge a fee or interest in connection with meals purchased by the students during the grace period. When the school district notifies the student’s parent or guardian that the student has a negative balance, the district may set a repayment schedule for the meal charges.

Assistance available in English and Spanish. Please call 877-TEX-MEAL (877-839-6325) for help. Additional translations services available as well.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. Mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.