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You are here: Home / Help / Common Questions 
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Q: How can I get a copy of the Food Buying Guide?

A: The Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs is a publication of the USDA's Team Nutrition. Information about this resource can be found on the Team Nutrition Web site.

Q: How do I contact my State Agency?

A: The USDA's Child Nutrition Programs are managed by FNS State agencies. To participate, or to learn more, contact your State agency using the information found at the following link:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Contacts/StateDirectory.htm

Q. What are the regulations for school meals?

A: To view Legislation, Regulations, or Policies related to the USDA's Child Nutrition Programs, please visit the following section of the Food and Nutrition Service Web site:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/regulations.htm

Q: How do I order your materials?

A: The Healthy Meals Resource System (HMRS) provides access to resources and training materials developed by other organizations for Child Nutrition personnel. HMRS does not develop nor distribute educational materials.

To find out if a material you are interested is available to order, please contact the developer directly. On the HMRS Web site, this information is listed directly under the title of the resource. In the Education and Training Materials Database, this information can be found in the Ordering Information section.

Ordering information for Team Nutrition publications can be found on their Web site. Visit their Resource Library and click on the title of interest.

Q: I have a question about one of the National School Lunch Program regulations. Who should I contact?

A: The USDA Child Nutrition Programs, such as the National School Lunch Program, are administered by the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Although Federal guidelines are in place, the programs are administered at the State level and therefore regulations vary from state to state.

For this reason, please contact your State FNS Agency using the contact information found at the following link:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Contacts/StateDirectory.htm

If your state has more than one listing, please use the listing with "NSLP" or "NSLP (Public)" if your school is a public school. Please use the listing with "NSLP (Private)" if your school is a private school.

Q: How do I subscribe to the Team Nutrition eNews, Mealtalk, Successtalk, or CACFP-Summertalk?

A: To sign up for any of these services, please visit our Discussion Groups section and click on "Join" under the group of interest.

Q: How can I get a food CN (Child Nutrition) labeled?

A: The CN Labeling Program is a voluntary Federal labeling program for the Child Nutrition Programs. It is administered by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. To learn more, please visit the Child Nutrition Labeling Web site. If you have further questions about the program, please contact the Labeling group directly using the following information:

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Food and Nutrition Service
Child Nutrition Division, Room 632
3101 Park Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22302
(703) 305-2609

Q: Who determines how long students have to eat lunch?

A: According to federal regulations, schools that participate in the USDA National School Lunch Program must serve lunch between 10:00am and 2:00pm. Individual schools/school districts, not the USDA, determine how much time to give students for lunch. For guidance on determining an adequate amount of time for students to eat their meals, please refer to the following resources:

Q: Are schools required to make menu substitutions for children who cannot eat the regular lunch or breakfast?

A: Federal law and the regulations for the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program require schools to make accommodations for children who are unable to eat the school meal as prepared because of a disability. Accommodation generally involves substituting food items, but in some cases schools may need to make more far reaching accommodations to meet the needs of children. For example, some children may need to have the texture modified.

For more information, please see the Food and Nutrition Service Web site.

Q: I'm not happy with the food that is being served at my child's school. What can I do about it?

A: There is a publication available from the USDA's Team Nutrition that might be helpful to you if you are interested in working with the school to improve the food offered to students. This publication is entitled, "Changing the Scene" and is available from the Team Nutrition Web Site at the following link:
http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/changing.html

Q: I'm planning a health fair. Can you send me free materials?

A: The Healthy Meals Resource System is located at the Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC) of the USDA National Agricultural Library. Since FNIC is not a clearinghouse and cannot distribute materials in bulk, the Center has developed a resource list entitled, "Sources of Free and Low Cost Nutrition Education Materials" help others locate free and low-cost food and nutrition materials.

Q: What is the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)?

A: CACFP plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care for children and elderly adults by making care more affordable for many low-income families. Through CACFP, 2.9 million children and 86,000 adults receive nutritious meals and snacks each day as part of their day care.

For more information, please see the CACFP section of the Food and Nutrition Service Web site.

Q: I operate a child care facility and am interested in receiving reimbursement for the meals I provide. How can I get started with CACFP?

A: The USDA Child Nutrition Programs, such as the Child and Adult Care Food Program, are administered by the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Although Federal guidelines are in place, the programs are administered at the State level and therefore regulations vary from state to state.

For this reason, please contact your State FNS Agency using the contact information found at the following link:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Contacts/StateDirectory.htm

If your state has more than one listing, please use the listing with "CACFP" in the title.

Q: Where can I find information on Competitive Foods?

A: This information can be found on the Food and Nutrition Service Web site.

Q: Do you have shorter links available that can be used in a printed publication?

A: Yes! Please use the URLs below when referencing the following major sections of the HMRS site:


Last Modified: Nov 3, 2009  
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