USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has released a policy memo that provides program operators of the child nutrition programs (CNP), including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Summer Food Service Program, with additional information and clarification on the state agency monitoring process regarding the: 1) child nutrition (CN) label, 2) watermarked CN label, and 3) manufacturer’s Product Formulation Statement (PFS). This memorandum also reflects updates to the CN Label Verification System and provides clarification on the date of authorization found on the CN label versus the “Valid Until” date on the CN Label Verification Report. This memo is located here. TDA will add any clarifying guidance to Program Handbooks in future updates.

The National CACFP Association is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2025 National Child Nutrition Conference April 14-18, 2025, in Dallas. The scholarship application is available at cacfp.org/scholarships.

Fifteen scholarships will be awarded: Seven to attend the conference in-person, and eight to attend virtually. In-person scholarships will include conference registration, four nights’ lodging at the conference hotel, and up to $450 toward transportation costs.

Applications close on January 10, 2025, at 11:59 pm Eastern. For questions, please email conference@cacfp.org

TDA has released a revised Good Cause Transfer Form for Program Year 2024-2025. The form and the recently updated instructions/presentation related to GCTs are available on the CACFP Administration/Forms page.

Note that "Good Cause" for transferring from the sponsorship of one sponsor to another during the Program Year is limited to the following conditions: 

• A sponsor denies a site access to the Program.
• A sponsor reduces the level of benefit a site receives under the Program
• Any other good cause as determined by TDA.

TDA has recently made updates to this notification process as follows:

Creation of a new online CACFP Serious Deficiency Process Notification Form. Sponsors must complete this form and attach a copy of the applicable SD notice throughout the process (previously, TDA required that these forms be emailed). Links to the form are also currently available on the CACFP Administration/Forms page and will be posted on the CACFP National Disqualified List page soon.

USDA has updated the complaint form linked to from the Non-Discrimination Statement to reflect new expiration dates. This non-substantive change requires no action, as participants may still submit complaints to USDA using a previous version. The URL to access the form also remains the same.

USDA’s Team Nutrition is pleased to release an On-Demand CACFP Halftime: Thirty on Thursdays Webinar titled, “Choose Breakfast Cereals That Are Lower in Added Sugars in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).” This On-Demand Webinar highlights the new added sugars limit for breakfast cereals and how to identify products that meet this limit. The training is available in English and Spanish and includes a “Frequently Asked Questions” section to address common questions and concerns related to serving breakfast cereals that meet the added sugars limit in CACFP. 

Visit this webpage titled “Choose Breakfast Cereals That Are Lower in Added Sugars in the CACFP” to get the training worksheet, training slides, and recorded video. Also, check out the “Calculating the Added Sugars Limit for Breakfast Cereals in the CACFP” training worksheet.

The National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) is also offering the opportunity to submit and track this training for continuing education credits. Additional information on this opportunity is available here from NCA.

The Texas Automated Nutrition System (TANS) will replace TX-UNPS for administration and management of all programs beginning with Program Year 2026 applications. Timelines, resources, and updates are available now on the Systems Hub.

Applications are now open for the 2025 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Programs for Child Nutrition Program providers participating in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and/or Summer Food Service Program . This year, the Request For Application (RFA) has been split into three separate solicitations, two of which are applicable to program operators:

The Implementation Grant: $50,000 to $500,000 to support the establishment or expansion of comprehensive Farm to School projects.

The Turnkey Grant: $5,000 to $50,000 to launch or enhance Farm to School activities; agricultural education; or edible gardens.

Visit USDA for more information on the Final Rule and upcoming changes. Let us know what kind of resources would best support you in implementing these new meal standards – Click here!

The National CACFP Sponsors Association is offering scholarships to attend the 2025 National Child Nutrition Conference on April 14-18 in Dallas! Apply here by January 10, 2025.