April 2026 Monthly Newsletter

On behalf of the Texas Department of Agriculture, thank you for joining us at MegaCon 2026! Your participation helped make this event a meaningful opportunity to connect, learn, and strengthen partnerships that support child nutrition programs across Texas.

To view or download the presentations that were shared during the conference, please visit SquareMeals.

We would love to hear your thoughts about your MegaCon 2026 experience! Please click here to complete our survey!

Congratulations to the contracting entities recognized by TDA during the awards ceremony on Tuesday! You can view and download photos with the Commissioner here!

TDA has updated the micro-purchase logs for the child nutrition and household Programs to reflect the new micro-purchase threshold of $15,000. The updated micro-purchase log used by the Child Nutrition Programs also includes additional clarity around its use in CACFP. The forms can be located on each respective program’s Administration/Forms page.

USDA has recently released policy memo SP 05-2026, CACFP 03-2026, SFSP 03-2026, 2026 Appropriations Act: Effect on Child Nutrition Programs, detailing the effect of the Act on the Child Nutrition Programs, which includes the following:
 
• Crediting of Vegetables at Breakfast: School food authorities (SFAs) participating in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) may credit any vegetable offered in place of fruit without including vegetables from other subgroups in the weekly menus through the end of the current school year and through SY 2026-2027. NOTE: The guidance in the ARM aligns with the most recent regulations, which state that schools that offer vegetables in place of fruit at breakfast more than once per week must offer at least two vegetable subgroups per week. TDA will continue to align the ARM with regulation but will post interim guidance about this temporary flexibility on SquareMeals in the coming weeks.
 
• Paid Lunch Equity Requirements: The Act continues the long-standing exception of PLE requirements through SY 2026-2027 for SFAs with zero or positive balances in their nonprofit food service accounts as of June 30, 2025. Only SFAs with negative balances in their nonprofit food service accounts must complete PLE requirements for SY 2026-2027. TDA will post interim guidance about this temporary flexibility on SquareMeals in the coming weeks. For SFAs that must comply with PLE requirements, TDA is awaiting additional guidance from USDA.
 
• Prohibition on the Use of Chicken and Seafood from China: The Act extends the current provision preventing and Child Nutrition Program operators from using program funds to procure raw or processed poultry or seafood products from the People’s Republic of China through September 30, 2026.

Thank you for taking some time to join and participate in our April TANS Talk webinar. Visit SquareMeals to find a video recording of the webinar under the "Previous TANS Talks" module