Thank you for attending MegaCon 2025 and making it a success!

Congratulations to the contracting entities recognized by Commissioner Sid Miller and Bob and Kelli Phillips at the closing awards event. You can view and download photos with the Commissioner here! Use the grid view in the upper righthand corner to see thumbnail images. These images will also be available on the SquareMeals website.

We need and value your feedback! 

Click here or the button below to take a short survey about your MegaCon 2025 experience. If you would like to give feedback about the individual sessions you attended during Megacon, please log into the app and click on the session to give it a rating. 

Recap the MegaCon Breakout Sessions!

Visit SquareMeals.org to view and download handouts from the MegaCon breakout sessions.

Congress recently signed a Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act for 2025 that includes three provisions affecting child nutrition programs. In response to this, USDA released policy memo SP 13-2025, Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025: Effect on Child Nutrition Programs on May 14, 2025, detailing the effect of the Act on the CNPs, 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. Beginning SY 2025-2026, consistent with the Final Rule – Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020 - 2025, schools that offer vegetables in place of fruit at breakfast more than once per week must offer at least two vegetable subgroups per week.

Prohibition on the Use of Chicken and Seafood from China: the Act extends the current provision preventing program funds from being used to procure raw or processed poultry or seafood products from the People’s Republic of China through September 30, 2025.

Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) Exemption: the Act continues the exception of PLE requirements into SY 2025-2026 for SFAs with zero or positive balances in their nonprofit food service accounts as of June 30, 2024. Only SFAs with negative balances in their nonprofit food service accounts must complete PLE requirements for SY 2025-2026.

You can access the full memo here.

On May 6, USDA issued Policy Memo SP 11-2025, CACFP 09-2025, SFSP 05-2025, Using Federal Funds to Purchase Local Foods. The purpose of this memorandum is to remind schools, sponsors, and institutions participating in any U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child Nutrition Program (CNP), including  the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), Special Milk Program for Children (SMP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), of the many ways they can purchase local foods to serve in Program meals. 

Sourcing and serving locally grown foods, and other farm to school activities, such as taste testing, gardening, and agriculture education, can infuse new energy and vision into CNP operations, support community health, create new opportunities for American farmers, invest Federal dollars in local economies, and strengthen strategies to encourage healthy choices. 

An updated SFSP Supplemental Handbook has been released and posted on SquareMeals. All updates are highlighted in yellow within the document and noted in the Log of Chapter Updates at the front of the document. The most substantive updates reflect recent changes to 2 CFR 200, the increase to the federal Simplified Acquisition Threshold, and clarification around proof of financial viability.

The updated SFSP Supplemental Handbook is posted here.

TANS implementation timelines have changed since the publishing of this article. Please visit the TANS SquareMeals page for the most current information.