Child Nutrition Programs

LAST CHANCE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Seamless Summer Option Training – Summer 2025

Please note that training is required for the Program Administrator and/or Program Director. After the training, there will be a post-test that must be passed with an 80% or higher score.

This is the last opportunity to attend!! If you do not attend training, you will not be eligible to participate as a sponsor for the upcoming summer.

Please register for SSO Training Summer 2025 - LAST CHANCE on Mar 14, 2025, 1:00 PM EDT at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4086413471386299227

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Rural Non-Congregate Feeding Training

If you elect to participate in the SSO, or the SFSP, and would like to participate in Rural Non-Congregate Feeding, a separate training is required. Please register below for the last available training. Failure to participate in this training will deem you ineligible to operate in this option.

Summer Programs: Rural Non-Congregate Feeding Training

This webinar is offered (1) more time: 03/19 @ 3pm.

 Please register for Summer Programs: Rural Non-Congregate Feeding Training at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/5374858580209664860

April Data Collection

The April Data Collection is quickly approaching and all Sponsors, except Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs), need to prepare by ensuring your student enrollment has been successfully uploaded into the FDC system.

Any new students enrolled by your sponsorship since your last FDC upload should be uploaded prior to April 1, 2025. The April Data Collection is used to determine the eligibility of Sponsors to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).

Please watch “The April Data Spring Training” VYond video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr5AtH9SWzw&list=PL1UhhtUpwGTnZycI1VX42ve-XMK1FU9r6&index=1&pp=iAQB

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Notification

The deadline to notify your program specialist of your intent to participate in the CEP for the SY 25-26 is Monday, June 30. 

CEP Timeline of Events Resource

The CEP Timeline of Events resource provides CEP Sponsors daily, monthly, and annual requirements for implementing CEP. Remember that intent to operate under CEP must be provided to your Program Specialist no later than June 30^th. View the CEP Timeline of Events here.

FANS Application Status

Listed below are application statuses regarding your FANS application and what the statuses mean:

• Blank – application has yet to be submitted
• Pending – sponsor is actively working on the module
• Submitted – application is available for the program specialist to review
• Pending Review – module is being reviewed by the program specialist
• Accepted – application has been accepted by FNW
• Rejected – application was rejected by the program specialist

Current User Access - Florida Automated Nutrition System (FANS) and Florida Direct Certification (FDC) System

Food Service Directors are responsible for adding and removing their delegate users in the FANS and FDC System.

Due to the confidential data contained in these systems, please ensure user listings are current and add or delete user access when appropriate.

As a best practice, it is recommended to have more than one person trained on how to access and use the FDC System and FANS. Sharing user access information in FANS or FDC is prohibited.

Reminder from Program Integrity



The nonprofit food service account is a living account with a continuous running balance. The balance at the end of your fiscal year will continue as the beginning balance of the next fiscal year. Any surplus must remain within the account and any deficit must receive a transfer to bring the balance equal to or greater than zero.

Buy American Accommodation Process for School Year 2025-2026

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) issued policy memo SP 09-2025 to provide guidance on the Buy American accommodation process in 7 CFR 210.21(d)(8) and 7 CFR 220.16(d)(8) for SY 2025-2026.

The accommodation provides temporary relief for school food authorities (SFAs) that cannot meet the standards for non-domestic food purchases in 7 CFR 210.21(d)(5) and 7 CFR 220.16(d)(5).

Non-domestic food purchases by the SFAs cannot exceed the annual threshold, which for SY 2025-2026 is 10 percent of total commercial food expenditures.

On April 25, 2024, FNS published the Final Rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Among other things, the final rule strengthened the School Meal Programs’ Buy American Provision. FNS issued policy memo SP 23-2024 to provide detailed guidance on the regulatory changes to the Buy American provisions. The memorandum also provided a comparison of previous Buy American requirements to the updated requirements.

QUESTIONS

If you have any questions or need additional information, please email Suzette Bryant at Suzette.Bryant@FDACS.gov.

Nutrition Standards

Ask the Dietitians

A Special Miniseries – Article 2 of 5: Meal Component Crediting

Key resources from FDACS and USDA

Q: I’ve heard that I should look for Child Nutrition Labels for my main dish items, but what do they look like and where do I find them?

A: You are correct.  Main dish products that contribute to the meats/meat alternates component are eligible for a Child Nutrition (CN) Label. Some examples include chicken nuggets, pizza, burritos, and breaded fish portions.

CN Labels can be found on the packaging of products typically purchased through large food distributors.

CN labels will always contain:

• CN logo (the distinct border)
• Portion statement within the border
• Meal pattern contribution statement within the border
• 6-digit ID number (upper-right corner)
• USDA authorization statement
• Month and year of CN Label approval

Q: What if I can’t find CN labeled products?

A: Not all commercially prepared main dish products for school meals will have a CN Label. Items purchased in grocery stores generally do not have a CN label. If you can’t find a CN labeled product you have a couple of options:

Option 1: Use Product Formulation Statements (PFS Statements):

Look online or contact the manufacturer of your product to request a PFS statement. Acceptable PFS statements provide the same information as CN Labels with listed portion and portion crediting to the meal pattern. Refer to USDA’s PFS Tip Sheet for more information before adding items to your menu. Blank PFS statement templates and samples can be found here (scroll to bottom).

Option 2: Use Available Standardized Recipes (or create your own):

Make the product from scratch using a standardized recipe. A variety of standardized recipes are available from our Recipes webpage, and from the Child Nutrition Recipe Box.

Using standardized recipes is an easy way to make sure you are serving creditable foods. You can use existing standardized recipes or create your own! Unsure of how a food item credits? Use the USDA’s Food Buying Guide (here) to determine how a food item yields, its crediting information, and its contribution towards the meal pattern requirements.

Q: If I create my own recipes, how do I know how much of each ingredient to use to credit towards the meal pattern requirements?

A: The Food Buying Guide is a comprehensive and essential resource for calculating food amounts to purchase and use in recipes. It also provides guidance on how foods contribute to the meal pattern requirements. Users can search for food items to determine the number of servings per purchase unit, such as a pound or a can, to determine how many pounds or cans needed for the total number of student portions being planned for a set planned portion amount. You can also compare yield information, create a favorite foods list or grocery list, and access the Recipe Analysis Workbook!

Q: Are there any other quick references that can help with crediting?

A: Yes, the USDA and FDACS have several meal component crediting resources to help sponsors correctly apply crediting of foods information toward school meal patterns. Two quick references are listed below with more available under this dropdown section Food Buying and Crediting Information on FNW’s webpage.

1. Fruits and Vegetables: Fruit & Vegetable Quick Reference Crediting Guide
2. Grains, Breads and Cereals: Exhibit A: Grain Requirements For Child Nutrition Programs

Pro Tip: See the 5 USDA created crediting tip sheets for menu planners, supervisors, and staff trainers. These are professional looking, handy references for program operators containing the component requirements and how to credit each of the five meal components in child nutrition programs. Each tip sheet provides simple, easy-to-use information making these ideal for in-person training sessions and/or reference during onsite review visits where additional technical assistance for staff maybe needed.

Feeling Smart? Test your knowledge with this week’s Team Nutrition quizzes which also are great resources to include in training activities!

• Meal Components Quiz
• Child Nutrition Label Quiz

If you contract with a vendor or caterer of prepared meals for one or more of your approved sites, please share this information with them as well. For additional assistance on meal pattern and meal service-related questions, please contact the Nutrition Standards Section via Rick Parks at Richard.Parks@FDACS.gov

Getting to the POINT

Training Opportunities

PrimeroEdge is hosting a wide selection of webinars for 2025. This is an opportunity to troubleshoot issues you may be experiencing or have any questions answered in real time by a PrimeoEdge Customer Care Representative.

Click and save the link to register for monthly webinars: 2025 Webinars Hosted by Customer Success & Customer Care - PrimeroEdge

For more information on the POINT System, you may contact LaTasha Patterson at Latasha.Patterson@fdacs.gov.

We want to hear from you! Provide us with your POINT System feedback here. 

Try Toasting Your Spices…First

I’m eager to share with you an often-overlooked technique that can elevate the flavors of our dishes. It’s toasting spices.

In reflecting on my early days as a professional cook, I was trained to incorporate spices towards the end of the cooking process. The thinking behind this guideline was that spices will lose some intensity if added too early in the cooking process. However, cooking has evolved over time, and recent studies on the advantages of toasting spices near the beginning of our recipe process say this technique not only enhances the depth of flavors, but it also imparts a rich complexity that is truly distinctive.

I appreciate how toasting spices can boost flavor without adding any new ingredients. It is now commonly known that toasting spices brings out essential oils locked within them, thereby intensifying their flavors and aromas. The process of toasting spices in a skillet or pan holds a certain magic that can transform the entire student meal.

Toasting spices is a kitchen tip that can transform your dishes from ordinary to extraordinary. The practice is simple, yet it carries a profound impact. All you need to do is place your whole spices in a dry skillet or pan, heat them over medium heat, and stirring often to avoid burning. The moment you smell the spices releasing their aromas, they're ready.

One of my favorite examples of toasting spices is with cumin seeds. In Mexican or Indian cuisine, cumin plays a pivotal role. When you toast cumin seeds, it brings out a nutty, earthy flavor that complements the other ingredients in your dish. After toasting, simply grind the cumin seeds in a spice grinder, or in an unused coffee bean grinder, just before you add them to your recipe. A popular use for toasted cumin seeds is in spice blends like garam masala, which is a key component in many Indian dishes.

I encourage you to try this flavorful concept of incorporating the practice of toasting spices in your culinary creations. Feel free to reach out for more ideas and concepts on boosting flavors and adding value to your cooking skills. Jorge.Sanchez@fdacs.gov. 

USDA Foods for Schools

School Year 2025-2026 USDA Foods Catalog Closing This Friday

Ordering USDA Foods for School Year (SY) 2025-2026 is currently underway for all recipient agencies to submit their requests in the Food Distribution Module within the POINT System. The SY 25-26 USDA Foods catalogs include separate catalogs for direct delivery and bulk for processing. The SY 25-26 USDA Foods catalogs are scheduled close this Friday, March 14, 2025. Please note that many of the fruits and vegetables are only available now to order for SY 25-26, so do not miss out on this opportunity. Recipient agencies with questions or are experiencing any issues with ordering should contact Kyle Jordan at Kyle.Jordan@FDACS.gov. 

USDA DoD Fresh Program Allocations for School Year 2025-2026

Recipient agencies that would like to participate in the USDA DoD Fresh Program for School Year 2025-2026 should review their entitlement balance to determine if they will allocate entitlement to the USDA DoD Fresh Program and how much they would like to allocate. Allocation increases will not be guaranteed again until September 2025 and that is why it is important for recipient agencies to take the opportunity now. Recipient agencies must submit their USDA DoD Fresh Program allocations by Friday, March 21, 2025 to Pooja Pari-Patel at Pooja.Pari-Patel@FDACS.gov. 

USDA DoD Fresh Program Holiday Closure Notices and Receipting



All recipient agencies (RAs) that participate in the USDA DoD Fresh Program must notify the contracted vendor of the dates that schools will be closed and cannot accept deliveries during the holidays. Those recipient agencies that have scheduled or have already received DoD Fresh deliveries this week must ensure that the deliveries are receipted in FFAVORS within two (2) business days of acceptance. Please contact Pooja Pari-Patel at Pooja.Pari-Patel@FDACS.gov with any questions.

Outreach

NSLP Spring Materials are Arriving

Many sponsors have started receiving materials for their spring orders. As these orders arrive, please know that there may be several boxes arriving for you from up to three different vendors. Orders may take a few more weeks to arrive in full.

We have been made aware that there was an issue with a vendor where you may receive a package with the correct name and address, but the name of the sponsor is incorrect. These packages were sent to the correct addresses, and they contain the correct materials. You may keep the materials, and no further action is required from you.

Please reach out to Leslie.Hilleary@FDACS.gov with any order-related questions.

School Lunch Hero Nominations are Live!

School Nutrition Professionals feed thousands of children across Florida every day. If you know one of these deserving heroes ensuring students receive balanced, quality meals by, it is time to recognize them as a Florida School Lunch Hero! 

Join us and our Florida School Lunch Hero Week partners, No Kid Hungry and the Dairy Council of Florida, to celebrate the heroic School Nutrition Professionals in your community’s lunchrooms by nominating them to be honored as a 2025 Florida School Lunch Hero.  

Your hero could win big prizes, including $2,000, an in-person celebration and more! Submissions close on April 3, at 11:59PM ET.  

Learn more and nominate your hero here: Florida School Lunch Hero Week.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.