Keep up with the latest policy memos and news from the Texas Department of Agriculture.

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March 2024

• Summer 2024 Non-Congregate Feeding
• Summer Materials Have Shipped
• Register for MegaCon 2024
• Local Food for Schools Office Hours
• FSMC Fridays
• FSMC Contract Due Dates
• Texas Farm Fresh Survey
• School Data for Area Eligibility Report
• Proposed Rule for Serious Deficiency Process in SFSP and CACFP
• Universal Breakfast Program Waiver Application: March 15
• 2024-2025 Income Eligibility Guidelines
• New Look for Professional Standards Training Tracker Tool
• CN Labeling Manual
• Small Purchase Log
• NSLP Annual Financial Report Due March 31
• Grant Opportunity: Oliver Foundation Healthy Choices Grant
• Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards
• ICN Training Opportunities for New Leadership
• Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards
• PY 24-25 WBSCM Round 1 Ordering Update
• Program Year 2023-2024 USDA Foods Updates

February 2024

• Register for MegaCon 2024
• National School Breakfast Week 
• Local Food for Schools Office Hours
• SFSP and SSO Rural Non-Congregate Service Regulations
• Unanticipated School Closure Notification Forms and Guidance
• New Duplicative Services FAQs
• New Features and Food Yields in the Food Buying Guide Web-based Tool
• CEP Data Report in TX-UNPS
• Updated TDA and USDA CEP Resources
• Food Allergies: New Online Resources
• ICN Wants to Hear from You
• Grant Opportunity: Oliver Foundation Healthy Choices Grant
• Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards
• Reminder for All TX-UNPS and WBSCM Entities
• NSLP Annual Financial Report 
• FSMC Contract Timeline
• NSLP-USDA Foods Inventory Management
• Reminder: Acceptance of USDA Foods Delivered by State-Contracted Warehouses
• USDA Foods Ordering Updates

January 2024

• National School Breakfast Week or School Lunch Hero Day Materials Shipped
• Reaching for Excellence Grant Opportunity
• Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards
• WBSCM Access Form and Ability to Add 2 User Access Managers
• Financial Report Opened January 1
• Updated ARM Sections 7, 8, 10, 17, 17b, 19, 22
• FSMC Contract Timeline
• USDA Foods Acceptance Tips
• USDA Foods Ordering Updates

December 2023

• Resources on SquareMeals.org
• NSBW and SLHD Materials
• Crediting Tofu and Soy Yogurt Products
• Release of Two Requests for Applications for the Healthy Meal Initiative Sub-grants
• Updated Guidance on Access to Domesticated and Wild Game Animals
• Updated Team Nutrition Resources for CN Programs
• Farm to School Census
• Local Foods for Schools Recipients
• FY2025 Reaching for Excellence (RFE) Grant Opportunity
• Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards
• FSMC Contract Timeline
• USDA Foods Usage Analysis
• NSLP Mid-Year Physical Counts Season
• USDA Foods Ordering Updates

November 2023

• Resources on SquareMeals.org
• Local Foods for Schools Funding Training
• New Milk Flexibility for Emergency Conditions Notification Form
• OVS Materials in Spanish
• Updated Micropurchase Logs
• New Standardized Recipes from TDA
• Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards
• National School Lunch Week 2023 Recap
• Verification Timeline
• FSMC Contract Timeline
• USDA Foods Ordering Updates

October 2023

• Resources on SquareMeals.org
• Local Foods for Schools Funding
• Final Rule Reduces CEP ISP Threshold from 40% to 25% for SY 2024-2025
• USDA's Revised Menu Planner for Schools
• Verification Timeline
• New Verification Letter Sample Templates Suite
• Updated Guidance on Meal Service During an Unanticipated School Closure
• State Reimbursement for Reduced Price Breakfast - Schools Offering Universal Breakfast
• Now Available! New Food Yields Added to the Food Buying Guide
• Attachment B Uploads due October 31
• FSMC Contract Timelines
• SY 2023-2024 Special Provisions Carryover Reports
• Guide to Professional Standards in Spanish
• New USDA Food Safety Fact Sheets
• Get Ready for 2023 National School Lunch Week
• Coming Soon: 2023 Farm to School Census
• Upcoming Webinars and Availability of Team Nutrition Materials in Print
• Connecting the Pieces: Supporting the Whole Child Virtual Summit
• Turnip the Beet Survey
• USDA Foods Ordering Updates

September 2023

• Child Nutrition Program Integrity Final Rule
• Important Information About Health Coverage Among CN Participants
• Healthy Meals Incentives Grants and Recognition Awards Announced
• Attachment B Uploads due October 31
• FSMC Contract Timelines
• Get Ready for 2023 National School Lunch Week
• 2023-24 Menu Calendar Templates
• More Students Can Enjoy Free Breakfast in Texas!
• Self-Certification Option to Increase Micro-Purchase Threshold
• Pre-Award Civil Rights Compliance Review Form Revised
• Multiple ARM Sections Updated: 4, 6, 17, 17a, 19, 20
• SY24 Verification Reporting Resources Available
• TX-UNPS Ordeirng Round Update
• Surplus USDA Foods at State Contracted Warehouses
• USDA NSLP Update SY2023-2024
• Important Information on USDA Foods
• SY24 Warehouse Renewals and Delivery Rate Schedules Posted on SquareMeals

August 2023

• October 2023 Farm Fresh Challenge
• Get Ready for 2023 National School Lunch Week
• Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards for School Food Authorities
• Reimbursement Rates for School Year 2023-2024
• Verification Begins in October
• Self-Certification Option to Increase Micro-Purchase Threshold
• New School Nutrition Program FAQs Published for SY 2023-2024
• New Waiver Allowing Non-Congregate Summer Feeding in Extreme Heat
• Remaining COVID-19 Flexibilities and Keep Kids Fed Act Provisions Expired June 30
• Attachment B Uploads
• Resources: FRAC Webinars, Food Yield for FBG, Made with School Lunch, ICN
• Child Nutrition Database Release 26
• Updated Household Application Documents, Media Templates
• WBSCM Updates
• Don't Forget to Turnip the Beet
• Deadlines

July 2023

• MENU Module Not Supported After August 31
• Get Ready for 2023 NSLW and Bite Seen Around Texas Taste Testing
• Local Food for Schools
• SquareMeals COVID-19 Page Retired
• Remaining COVID-19 Flexibilities and Keep Kids Fed Act Provisions Expired June 30
• Updates to Civil Rights Nondiscrimination Statement
• Independent Review of Applications
• The Attachment B Upload Opened July 1
• NSLP Transitional Sodium Limits Effective July 1
• SY2023-24 TX-UNPS Allocation for USDA Foods Starting Date
• MegaCon Presentations and Handouts on SquareMeals
• Test Your Nutrition Knowledge
• Universal Free Feeding Policy Update
• PLE for School Year 2023-24
• Release: School Meal Household Applications
• Release: Complete ARM
• USDA Foods Updates: Important Information for Starting the New School Year and SY24 Warehouse Renewals/Delivery Rate Schedules Posted on SquareMeals
• Don't Forget to Turnip the Beet
• Deadlines

June 2023

• Year-Round Meals: Tips for Transitioning from Summer to Afterschool Meals
• TDA Nutrition Feedback Survey
• Coming Soon! NSLW Digital Resources and Materials Order Form
• Clarification on Criteria for Operating a Closed Enrolled Site in Income-Eligible Areas
• Credibility of Dole Wiggles Fruit Juice Gels
• Crediting Grains in the CN Programs Tip Sheets
• New Features of the Professional Standards Training Tracker Tool
• Approved Sites and Sponsors Summer Outreach Materials Now Available
• PLE Tool Issues with Older Versions of Excel
• USDA Foods Annual Redistribution of Pounds (Processing)
• DoD Information
• Deadlines: This Month & FSMC Contracts
• Highlight: School Lunch Hero Day Success Stories

April 2023

• MegaCon Registration
• School Lunch Hero Day
• Farm Fresh Challenge
• HART Program
• e-Harvest Newsletter
• CICN Webinar: What a Chef Can Do for You
• Fiscal Year 2023 Team Nutrition Grants
• Internet Services Available to All Households with Kids at CEP Schools
• New Trays in Team Nutrition's School Meals Trays
• Summer Materials on the Way
• Summer Outreach Materials Now Available
• USDA Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative Grants
• Choking Hazards Training Resource
• Oliver Foundation Healthy Choices Grants
• USDA Foods Transferring Opportunities Available for Processing
• Recap: 2023 School Breakfast Week
• Deadlines: Financial Report, NSLP and SSO Applications, America's Healthiest Schools Award, FSMC, CEP
• Proposed Rule: CEP Provision
• Comment Period Extended for Proposed Rule to Revise Nutrition Standards
• Universal Breakfast Program Waivers
• 2023 SSO Reviews

March 2023

• Texas Farm Fresh Survey
• Summer Materials
• School Breakfast Week
• WBSCM Statewide Non-Pilot Recipient Agencies
• CICN Resources Available
• New Foods Added to FBG
• 2022 Turnip the Beet Winners
• New Feature Added for Training Tracker Tool
• TDA Jobs
• Deadlines
• Financial Report Due March 31
• FSMC Contracts - Important Dates
• Offsite Monitoring Flexibilities End June 30
• New Notification Form and Comprehensive Guidance on Unanticipated School Closures
• 2022-23 School Data for Area Eligibility Report
• Proposed Rule to Revise Meal Patterns Consistent with 2020 Dietary Guidelines
• 2023-24 School Nutrition Program Income Eligibility Guidelines
• No Findings Administrative Review Award for CEs

February 2023

• Texas Farm Fresh Survey
• MegaCon 2023
• Summer Materials
• PSTTT Pro Webinar Recording
• Surplus USDA Foods
• Discover MyPlate for Kindergarten
• School Breakfast Week Materials Shipped
• TDA Jobs
• Team Nutrition Materials
• Deadlines
• NSLP Annual Financial Report
• USDA Foods for 2023-2024
• Summer Meals Notification Requirement
• 2022-23 School Data for Area Eligibility Report
• NSLP PY 2023-24 Information
• USDA Foods for SY 2022-23
• 2023 NSLP Financial Report Open
• No Findings Administrative Review Award for CEs

January 2023

• School Breakfast Week 2023 Orders Due January 6
• New School Year 23-24 Menu Calendar Templates Available
• MegaCon 2023
• Discover MyPlate Printed Materials
• New Food Yields Added to Food Buying Guide Interactive Tools
• ICN iBites Digest
• Whole Grain Quiz
• Retirement of the Team Nutrition Network
• Deadlines
• NSLP Annual Financial Report
• USDA Foods for 2023-2024
• WBSCM Statewide Implementation
• New Excellent No Findings Administrative Review Award for CEs

December 2022

• School Breakfast Week 2023 Pre-order for Promotional Materials
• MegaCon 2023
• Free MyPlate Materials
• USDA Foods Challenge
• Deadlines
• Warehouse Mid-year Inventory Count
• Crediting Fruit Juice Gels
• Update ARM Sections 2A and 31
• Onsite Monitoring Due February 1

November 2022

• Farm Fresh Attestation Form Due
• School Breakfast Week 2023 Pre-order for Promotional Materials
• MegaCon 2023
• NSLP Weekly Commodity Bulletin - Bonus
• Updated Food Buying Guide
• Texas Action for Healthy Kids Virtual Summit
• USDA Foods Challenge
• Crediting Milk Tip Sheet
• Team Nutrition Resources
• Taste-Testing Posters
• Deadlines
• Texas Summer Mandate Notification
• Revised Whole Grain Resource for NSLP and SBP
• Approved In-State Processors for PY23-24
• State Account Transfers
• School Nutrition Program Complaints
• State Fair 2022
• NSLW 2022 Success

October 2022

• National School Lunch Week 2022
• FSMC Quick Reference Guide Resource
• Renewing Contracting Entities
• Trainings offered by Share Our Strength
• Meal Talk: Taste-Test Events Webinar
• CE Warehouse Inventory Management Tool
• P-EBT 2022 Local Administrative Cost Grants
• USDA Announces SY 2022-2023 P-EBT
• P-EBT for Summer 2022 - Upload of Eligible Students
• Important Deadlines
• Verification Begins in October

September 2022

• 2022 Turnip the Beet
• Farm Fresh Challenge
• National School Lunch Week 2022
• USDA Foods Feedback on New Items
• How School Lunch Is Made and How You Can Help
• USDA Foods Online Training
• WBSCM Transition Web Page
• Important Deadlines
• New FSMC Contract Review Form
• PY23 Verification Reporting Resources
• Special Provisions Carryover Reports
• ARM Update: Carryover for CEP
• Civil Rights Training Migrating to ICN
• DC Matches Reminder
• Summer P-EBT
• Verification Begins Oct. 1
• And Justice for All Posters

August 2022

• Farm Fresh Challenge
• Local Wellness Policy Webinar
• National School Lunch Week 2022
• PR Lessons Learned
• CN Photo Collection
• Tip Sheet: Crediting Meat/Meat Alternates
• ICN: Back-to-School Toolbox
• Fueling My Healthy Life
• Updated Team Nutrition Brochures
• Important Deadlines
• ARM Updates
• Calculating Adult Meal Pricing
• Reimbursement Rates for SY2022-23
• Severe Need Reimbursement
• Civil Rights Training Migrating to ICN
• Updated Spanish Versions of Household Applications, Letters, and Media Release
• Keep Kids Fed Act Flexibilities
• WBSCM Update
• Performance-based Supplemental Reimbursement
• 2022 Turnip the Beet

This product was funded by USDA/TDA. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.