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Federal Resources
2015 Summer Food Service Program Handbook
The 2015 Summer Food Service Program Handbook (PDF, 207 pages) is now available. This handbook provides guidance and resources to organizations administering summer food programs. New material includes tips on targeting local foods through proper procurement mechanisms. Join one of the many Summer Meals Webinars which will feature resources, technical guidance examples, and best practices that can help make Summer Meals Programs successful.
Another Study Shows Kids Eating More Healthy Food at School, Throwing Less Food Away
A new study published in Childhood Obesity reflects that students are consuming healthier food at school as a result of the updated USDA nutrition standards for school meals.
ChooseMyPlate.gov
Choose my Plate offers personalized eating plans, interactive tools to help you plan and assess your food choices, and advice to help you make better choices.'
During National Nutrition Month, Efforts to Combat Childhood Hunger
In a speech at the 2015 National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an initiative to develop innovative projects to help end childhood hunger, especially in rural areas. These projects will be tested in Kentucky, Nevada, and Virginia, as well as the Chickasaw and Navajo tribal nations. USDA also published a blog post describing the importance of school breakfast programs for student health and success, challenges to student access to meals, and innovative approaches to making sure more children are fed.
Fact Sheet: Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act School Meals Implementation
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was passed in 2010 to help ensure that all children in America have access to the nutrition they need. A goal of the Act is to reduce the childhood obesity epidemic and related health risks by helping schools provide balanced meals to students. This fact sheet provides an overview of the results of the school meals provision of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and recent actions that support school nutrition programs.
Food and Nutrition Service List of State Distributing Agency Contacts
These contacts provide information about partnership with the National School Lunch Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Summer Food Service Program. They can also provide organizations with access to food during times of disaster.
Food and Nutrition Service Faith-Based and Community Organizations
This site provides information about programs and grants that faith and community groups are eligible for within FNS, as well as technical assistance for interested organizations.
Give Students What They Are Asking For: Healthier Foods, Healthier Lives
This blog post, written by the CEO of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, describes the organization’s work to help schools improve the nutritional quality of the foods they offer to students and the progress that many schools have made to meet the new school nutrition standards issued by the USDA.
Infographic: Smart Snacks in School
This infographic from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) displays the new nutrition standards established by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which requires the USDA to create standards for all food sold in schools, beyond federally supported meal programs. The infographic also shows examples of foods deemed acceptable both before and after the implementation of the new standards.
Initial Launch of the Team Up for School Nutrition Success Training Program
Team Up for School Nutrition Success Training (Team Up) is a new pilot program that provides free, tailored training to schools on securing and providing healthy and delicious school meals to students. The program was developed in partnership with the USDA and the National Food Service Management Institute. The USDA also released a video in which first lady Michelle Obama promotes Team Up and praises the work of school food service professionals across the country.
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) advances knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and communities by supporting research, education, and extension programs in the Land-Grant University System and other partner organizations. NIFA replaced the former Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), which had been in existence since 1994.
National Network for Child Care
NNCC unites the expertise of many of the nation's leading universities through the outreach system of Cooperative Extension. Our goal is to share knowledge about children and child care from the vast resources of the land grant universities with parents, professionals, practitioners, and the general public.
Nutrition Assistance Programs
This site lists links to program information for Nutrition Assistance Programs through Food and Nutrition Service.
Partnering for Nutrition in School Meals
A new TV feature developed by USDA describes the Team Up for Success Training Initiative, a program that connects schools that have succeeded in instituting the standards of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act with schools that are struggling with implementation.
Promise Neighborhoods
To address the challenges faced by students living in communities of concentrated poverty, Promise Neighborhoods grantees and their partner organizations will plan to provide services from early learning to college and career, including programs to improve the health, safety, and stability of neighborhoods, and boost family engagement in student learning.
Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs
This resource from the Department of Agriculture can help schools in identifying and procuring locally grown and produced food for school nutrition programs.
School Nutrition Environment and Wellness Resources
These resources from the Department of Agriculture can help schools and school districts as they develop school wellness policies that meet the standards of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.
SNAP: Clarification of Policies Barriers Facing Homeless Youth
This document clarifies eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to ensure that homeless youth, and other vulnerable populations, have access to the food they need.
Stay Healthy at College With MyPlate On Campus
The MyPlate On Campus Initiative aims to spread healthy eating messages to college students to empower them to improve their eating and exercise habits and encourage their peers to do the same. MyPlate On Campus offers tools, such as a tracker that develops personalized nutrition and activity plans for users, and tip sheets on topics such as choosing healthy snacks and creative ways to exercise. Students interested in promoting wellness at their schools can become MyPlate On Campus Ambassadors and gain leadership experience while hosting fitness and healthy eating activities for their fellow students.
The Food and Nutrition Information Center
The Food and Nutrition Information Center - a leader in food and human nutrition information dissemination since 1971 - provides credible, accurate, and practical resources for nutrition and health professionals, educators, government personnel and consumers.
The First Lady Has a Challenge for You: #GimmeFive
In celebration of the fifth anniversary of Let’s Move!, First Lady Michelle Obama is encouraging people to give out high-fives when they see someone making healthy choices. The First Lady is also asking Americans to #GimmeFive for things they are doing lead a healthier life by posting their accomplishments on social media and challenging friends and family to do the same.
SuperTracker is Now Mobile
SuperTracker, an online tool that helps users personalize their fitness and nutrition plan, is now available for mobile devices. Mobile users can compare the nutritional information for foods on the go and update their activity log in real time.
Team Nutrition
Team Nutrition is an initiative of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service to support the Child Nutrition Programs through training and technical assistance for foodservice, nutrition education for children and their caregivers, and school and community support for healthy eating and physical activity. Team Nutrition's Goal is to improve children's lifelong eating and physical activity habits by using the principles of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid
USDA Announces Grants for Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs
USDA’s NIFA has announced the award of $9 million in grants, through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), to develop childhood obesity intervention programs through colleges and universities in 12 states and Puerto Rico. NIFA anticipates making $42 million available over the next five years for the AFRI Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge Area.
Whole Grain Resource for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs
This resource outlines the whole grain-rich criteria for school meals in order to help program operators identify foods that meet the whole grain-rich criteria and offer them in their menus.