FNS Documents & Resources

The Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs has all of the current information in one manual to help you and your purchasing agent buy the right amount of food and the appropriate type of food for your program(s), and determine the specific contribution each food makes toward the meal pattern requirements.

The Guide to Professional Standards for School Nutrition Programs is a central resource that comprehensively outlines the USDA professional standards requirements for state and local school nutrition program personnel who manage and operate the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.  It supports school nutrition personnel in ensuring they have the knowledge and skills they need to prepare nutritious, safe, and enjoyable school meals.

This manual was developed to provide an overview of the recall process for USDA Foods with a focus on school meals programs.

Handling Fresh Produce in Classrooms: Guidance for School Nutrition Staff - Follow your school district’s food safety plan for appropriate actions when temperature standards are not met.

An administrative review which refers to the Coordinated Review Effort is the initial comprehensive on-site evaluation by a state agency  of a school food authority participating in the National School Lunch Program, and includes both critical and general areas of review.

Contracting with Food Service Management Companies: Guidance for School Food Authorities The following guidance identifies items that should be considered in deciding whether to use a FSMC, the actions that should be taken once a decision to use a FSMC has been made, and the responsibilities of the SFA after the SFA-FSMC contract becomes operational.

Contracting with Food Service Management Companies. Guidance for State Agencies. The purpose of this guidance is to provide SAs with the actions appropriate to ensure compliance with both program regulations and Federal cost and procurement standards.

This publication has been prepared for juice drink manufacturers.  It contains directions for calculating the contribution that a juice drink or juice drink product makes toward meeting meal pattern requirements for the child nutrition programs.  It also contains instructions on how to apply for and obtain approval of a label with a child nutrition (CN) statement. 

This publication has been prepared for food manufacturers. It contains instructions on how to apply for and obtain approval of a label with a Child Nutrition (CN) statement.